Karin Smyth MP | Private Schools Are A Disaster (5/8) | Oxford Union

[@wilfgordon7704]

proud to have karen smyth as my MP

[@Loser-ow5hz]

She truly right

[@joshuathomson6049]

Excellent speech

[@jtf101]

Well put by Smyth. Private schools provide a wealth of not just academic availability and enrichment -- you're looking at connections inaccessible outside of them. It's the connections that truly make or break a person's career in the long run, and while you have the rare cases of some poor bag making it big because they happened to be in the right place at the right time, most hit a glass ceiling imposed by such restrictions. Heavens to hell, it's worse in this day and age. Poverty is out of control because of the inability to move from short-sighted divisions. Children's only guidance outside of their social environment is the education offered to them and the doors they open up. Clearly, we are failing the majority.

[@anthonymanzalji]

All the parents at the parenting class want their children to be happy therefore all parents want their children to be happy.

[@aduncan520]

As someone who has experience within both the state and private education system, it is absurd to even suggest that they are a disaster. The levels of opportunity both academically and co-curricular are exceptional in comparison, however my public school was made up of a massive proportion of scholarship and bursary students who were allowed to undertake such chance under merit - not this inaccurate proclamation of wealth or class. Instead of looking at the constant successes of the Privatised education sector and critiquing it, the root of the problem must be addressed of inadequate state school structural formula and government funding. It is in fact the donations of the geographically close public schools that have such benefit for the schools around them and the Government (whether it be Labour or Conservative) needs to re-evaluate its public spending and systematic approach. The constant narrative of dictating an unequal opportunity actually creates a larger disparity as lots of state school children take a victimised and overtly negative view on life and the world around it. Furthermore, there is an unwarranted aggression towards the private school occupants and schools with derogatory tones and catchphrases. The real problem in this Great Nation is that we are becoming so cynical of our previously "proud" and "prosperous" traditional attributes such as schooling, instead of focusing on an improvement of the public educational sector which involves roughly 93% of the population. Eradicating the most successful parts of society may supposedly create 'equality of chance', but who wants a Great Britain that instead of having some amazing schools and some less so - has a schooling system that is flawed everywhere.

[@imrannazir6931]

Did you even listen to what the MP said?

[@darrenr9136]

That private education was wasted on you wasn't it? You f*cking idiot

[@Nimuel]

It seems a curious idea to me, that those who oppose private schools, free markets or even go so far as to oppose property rights, seem to think along the lines that success can be bought, that it is how much you spend, and not how something is utilized that matters (in various roundabout ways). That it is the families riches that buys them continued success, and not a culture of behaviour, success vectors, that builds up not only their own lives, that of their families and by extension the society around them. That it is by learning and utilizing these traits that helps you in the quest to becoming successful and creating value, that wealth is created before it can be spent and not the other way around. That a key factor in perpetuating and evolving these traits is decentralisation, which in this case means, diversification though competition, which at the same time implies insulating and strengthening the system as a whole against risk between not just different schools, but different types of schools, while learning from each others mistakes and successes. While you can include public schools in this spectrum, you can not exclude private schools, by definition, or even homeschooling.