A good education can provide a pathway out of poverty, but how do we improve the quality of schooling in poor countries? One solution is to enable low-fee private schools to flourish.

In this episode of the 'Solutions With David Ansara' podcast, I speak with Prof. James Tooley, Vice Chancellor at the University of Buckingham in the United Kingdom, and author of several books on education in the developing world.

Prof. Tooley and I discuss:

• Why parents in poor countries tend to prefer low-cost private schools to free public schools.

• Why international aid agencies are reluctant to acknowledge the role of private schooling in development.

• How teacher's unions undermine accountability and quality in public schools. - Whether low-fee private schools provide a sufficiently high standard of education.

• The effectiveness of voucher-based systems.

• How private schools help young girls to be better educated.

• The potential for disruption in higher education.

TIMESTAMPS:

(0:00) Intro

(0:29) The importance of low-fee private schools in the developing world

(3:00) Private vs. public schools in poor countries

(4:56) Do low-fee private schools have lower standards?

(6:58) The state-centric bias in international development

(12:36) The politics of education

(18:08) The business of education

(21:48) Is standardised testing desirable?

(25:55) Voucher systems

(35:15) Civic education

(38:25) The benefits for young girls

(42:11) Alternative models of higher education

(47:05) Conclusion

RESOURCES

'Really Good Schools' by James Tooley (2021)

'A Beautiful Tree' by James Tooley (2013)

VIDEO

WATCH this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/c9mU1vOU4RM