 "State
schools, also known in
Scotland, the
United States and
Canada as public schools, generally refer
to primary or secondary
schools mandated for or offered to all children
by the
government, whether national, regional, or
local, provided by an institution of civil
government, and paid for, in whole or in part, by
state
taxes. The term may also refer to institutions
of post-secondary education funded, in whole or in
part, and overseen by government This includes basic
education,
kindergarten to twelfth grade, also referred to
as primary and secondary education, as well as
post-secondary educational institutions such as
universities, colleges, and technical schools funded
and overseen by government rather than private
entities. State education is inclusive, both in its
treatment of students and in that enfranchisement
for the government of public education is as broad
as for government generally. It is often organized
and operated to be a deliberate model of the civil
community in which it functions. Although typically
provided to groups of students in classrooms in a
central school, it may be provided in-home,
employing visiting teachers,and/or supervising
teachers. It can also be provided in non-school,
non-home settings, such as shopping mall space.
State education is generally available to all. In
most countries, it is compulsory for children to
attend school up to a certain age, but the option of
attending private school is open to many. In the
case of
private schooling, schools operate independently
of the state and generally defray their costs (or
even make a profit) by charging parents
tuition fees. The funding for state schools, on
the other hand, is provided by tax revenues, so that
even individuals who do not attend school (or whose
dependents do not attend school) help to ensure that
society is educated. In poverty stricken societies,
authorities are often lax on compulsory school
attendance because the children there are valuable
laborers. It is these same children whose
income-securing labor cannot be forfeited to allow
for school attendance. The term "public education"
when applied to state schools is not synonymous with
the term "publicly funded education". Government may
make a public policy decision that it wants to have
some financial resources distributed in support of,
and it may want to have some control over, the
provision of private education. Grants-in-aid of
private schools and voucher systems provide examples
of publicly funded private education. Conversely, a
state school (including one run by a school
district) may rely heavily on private funding such
as high fees or private donations and still be
considered state by virtue of governmental ownership
and control."Source:
Wikipedia |
