Corporate Intrusion vs Privatization

The encroachment of private interests into public spheres is becoming increasingly worrying in Ontario. As hospital wait times get longer, we see our friends turning to paid virtual walk-in clinics to access health care. We see families turning to private schools as their children’s class sizes get larger.

As education workers committed to promoting public education and who believe in the rights of all learners to high-quality education, it is incumbent on us to actively and publicly engage on these issues. But because those types of conversations can feel intimidating if we’re unsure what to say, here’s a quick summary of two concepts we can help others understand.

Corporate Intrusion

Corporate intrusion in public education refers to how private corporations embed themselves within the structures and processes of the public education system. One example is when Google provides Chromebooks to schools, educators and students become dependent on a private company’s technology for daily learning.

Privatization

Privatization, as it relates to education, is the transfer of responsibility for learning from public funding and governance to private funding and governance. Under a public system, schools are funded through tax dollars and are subject to government oversight. Under a private system, families are responsible for paying for their children’s education, and schools can be owned and run by individuals, organizations or corporations. Privatization of education can also include school voucher programs where public dollars are given to families to help offset the cost of private education.

Whether the disintegration of the boundaries between public and private education comes in the form of corporate intrusion or privatization, it threatens the very fabric of our democracy since we know that education is a “great equalizer.” As education workers, we are uniquely positioned to bring public awareness to this ongoing attack in Ontario, as it is occurring not just in health care but in education as well, and parallels the ongoing collapse of these systems under the Progressive Conservative (PC) government.

For more information on the threats of privatization, please consult the OSSTF/FEESO Provincial website.

Sarah Parke-Erochko, District 25, Ottawa-Carleton Teachers Bargaining Unit (TBU), is a Member of the Provincial Educational Services Committee.