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Great Danish voucher scheme has all-round support A long-established tradition of government-financed vouchers, supported by every political party, illustrates Denmark’s commitment to school choice and demonstrates that dependence upon government funding does not necessarily compromise the autonomy of independent schools.
A report by World Bank senior education economist Harry Anthony Patrinos says that the Danish education system demonstrated that the “private delivery of basic education services can work”. In the 10 years to 2001, the number of children attending private schools rose 12.6% compared with a 0.4% increase in state schools in the same period. According to the report, if parents chose a private school over a municipal school, the state would cover 80-85% of the costs with parents paying the rest to “ensure their active participation in school matters”, as the Ministry of Education did not have school inspectors. Schools received grants according to the number of students enrolled, and each institution or municipality was free to make its own priorities for allocated funds. “Since students are free to select any school … school managers seek to optimise their economic situation by supplying the courses in high demand and by making the students attend and finalise their studies in due time. “According to the OECD, the Danish system does not create problems such as bogus schools … or inadequate instruction," the report says. “Although risks exist, the benefits are greater. Moreover, teacher unions are not opposed to school choice, especially at upper secondary level, where regulations keep public and private systems similar. "The coexistence of private and public schools is accepted by Danish teacher unions.” The Case for School Choice can be downloaded from this Fraser Institute web page. School Choice in Denmark by Dr Patrinos can be downloaded from this World Bank webpage. |
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