Economic liberalism has long exalted the role played by markets, and the notion of consumer choice sits at the heart of this idea. If I want to buy a new computer, I can choose from several different companies offering different machines, and I therefore choose the best machine I can get at the price I can afford. If a company is pricing its machines incorrectly then it will not make any money and collapse. In a market, things need to be allowed to fail.
In most cases, I am content with this situation, and indeed the existence of markets and consumer choice has made my life better in countless ways. I am uneasy, however, about turning the school curriculum into a market by turning pupils into ‘consumers’ who can choose what they want to study.There is a case for it, not least in terms of improving the quality of teaching in…
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The Echo Chamber 