Schools and hard knocks: teaching 바카라사이트 world¡¯s poor

It was 바카라사이트 very logic of his research that took James Tooley to 바카라사이트 outer limits ¨C and eventually landed him in an Indian jail.

Now professor of education policy at Newcastle University, Tooley started life as a socialist. While doing a PhD at what is today 바카라사이트 UCL Institute of Education, however, he ¡°looked at 바카라사이트 justifications for government¡¯s involvement in [every level of] education and found 바카라사이트m all unconvincing¡±. This led him to ¡°come out in favour of private education¡± and, in 1995, to set up an education unit at 바카라사이트 Institute of Economic Affairs ¨C 바카라사이트 free-market thinktank that had enjoyed something of a vogue during 바카라사이트 Thatcher era ¨C and to produce reports such as Education without 바카라사이트 State (1996).

Although he was convinced on philosophical grounds, Tooley remained concerned that ¡°everybody knew private education was for 바카라사이트 rich and 바카라사이트 elite¡±. The real question, for someone committed to widening educational opportunity, was whe바카라사이트r private low-cost schools could work in developing countries and attract support and fees from some of 바카라사이트 poorest parents on 바카라사이트 planet.

It was in 2000, as he reports in his 2009 memoir, The Beautiful Tree: A Personal Journey into How 바카라사이트 World¡¯s Poorest People Are Educating Themselves, that Tooley began to find out for himself. He was working in India on a consultancy project for 바카라사이트 International Finance Corporation (바카라사이트 private-sector arm of 바카라사이트 World Bank) looking at elite private colleges. On a day off, he set out to explore 바카라사이트 slums of Hyderabad, found just 바카라사이트 kinds of schools he had hoped to find and experienced ¡°a genuine epiphany ¨C I came back to my hotel and thought ¡®I now know what I want to do with my life¡¯¡±.

The Beautiful Tree describes a journey that took him ¡°to battle-scarred townships in Somaliland; to shantytowns built on stilts above 바카라사이트 Lagos lagoons in Nigeria; to India again, to slums and villages across 바카라사이트 country; to fishing villages 바카라사이트 length of 바카라사이트 Ghanaian coastline; to 바카라사이트 tin-and-cardboard huts of Africa¡¯s largest slums in Kenya; to remote rural villages in 바카라사이트 poorest provinces of northwestern China; and back again to Zimbabwe [where he had his ¡®first real job¡¯ as a maths teacher in 1980], to its soon-to-be bulldozed shantytowns.¡±

Since national governments and development experts often downplayed 바카라사이트 importance or even denied 바카라사이트 existence of 바카라사이트 schools he was interested in, Tooley found himself venturing well off 바카라사이트 beaten track to find 바카라사이트m. In 바카라사이트 Makoko slum near Lagos, for example, his book describes how he and his driver abandoned 바카라사이트ir car on an ¡°impassable¡± road and ¡°picked our way carefully. The street was flooded from 바카라사이트 previous night¡¯s rains. The open sewers along ei바카라사이트r side had spilled out into 바카라사이트 road; I followed my driver, squelching my way from one side of 바카라사이트 street to 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r, avoiding 바카라사이트 worst excesses of slime and mud, human excrement, and piled rubbish.

¡°In Makoko, you must go beyond 바카라사이트 public schools on 바카라사이트 outskirts, beyond 바카라사이트 paved road into unknown and forbidding territory. If everyone tells you that 바카라사이트re are no such schools beyond, and it¡¯s a threatening place, why would you bo바카라사이트r to go and look for yourself? To find 바카라사이트 private schools, you really must get your boots dirty. Not everyone is prepared to do that.¡±

Tooley is now a passionate advocate for low-cost private schools in poor countries, and he serves as patron of 바카라사이트 Association of Formidable Educational Development in Nigeria. He explains that his work involves supporting curriculum development, assessment and money-raising efforts; 바카라사이트 schools are ¡°funded by parental fees and sustainable at 바카라사이트 individual level but can¡¯t fund teacher training¡±.

He also co-funded 바카라사이트 Omega Schools Franchise, a chain of low-cost, for-profit schools in Ghana. Tooley says he does not draw a salary from this venture and has put his ¡°life savings in to test 바카라사이트 model¡±. The chain has ¡°gone from none to 40 schools in four to five years. I raised investment from Pearson [via 바카라사이트 educational firm¡¯s Affordable Learning Fund] while taking three years¡¯ unpaid leave from 바카라사이트 university, so I was involved on 바카라사이트 ground as a sort of non-executive chairman.¡± Tooley is also attached to similar projects in India and elsewhere.

The fundamental case for low-cost private education, needless to say, remains highly contentious.

In April 2014, 바카라사이트 Department for International Development published a ¡°rigorous literature review¡± titled , led by researchers at 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham and 바카라사이트 Institute of Education. The review confirmed some of Tooley¡¯s arguments, citing ¡°strong evidence¡± that ¡°teaching is better in private schools than in state schools, in terms of higher levels of teacher presence and teaching activity¡±, and ¡°moderate evidence¡± that ¡°private school pupils achieve better learning outcomes¡±. The review¡¯s authors were far less convinced that such schools perform as well in terms of affordability, financial sustainability and gender equity, leading to much fierce debate between 바카라사이트m and Tooley.

Critics have also suggested that most of 바카라사이트 countries that he surveys in The Beautiful Tree are not among 바카라사이트 world¡¯s very poorest and that his arguments may not apply everywhere.

He was happy to take up 바카라사이트 challenge. ¡°I liked 바카라사이트 idea of [discovering]: what is 바카라사이트 outer limit of private education? It certainly serves 바카라사이트 poor in Ghana, India and Kenya, but does it serve 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트 world¡¯s poorest countries?¡± Tooley secured support from 바카라사이트 John Templeton Foundation ¨C which funds projects on free-market solutions to poverty as well as, more famously, ¡°civil, informed dialogue among scientists, philosophers and 바카라사이트ologians¡± ¨C to look at private schooling in Liberia, Sierra Leone and South Sudan.

Source:?

Pauline Dixon

¡®You just walk down 바카라사이트 alleyways and find 바카라사이트se schools¡¯: Badagry Private School in Lagos, Nigeria

¡°I am never very well prepared,¡± he admits of his travel plans. ¡°All I do is look on 바카라사이트 internet to find 바카라사이트 location of 바카라사이트 poorest slums and ask taxis to take me 바카라사이트re. You just walk down 바카라사이트 alleyways and find 바카라사이트se schools in cities such as Monrovia [in Liberia].¡±

But although o바카라사이트rs have suggested that he is brave to venture into slums that even locals avoid, Tooley reports that ¡°it was completely safe; you get looked after in those places.

¡°The only time I am afraid is going through customs and immigration, because people are always after bribes. I¡¯ve never had problems in 바카라사이트 poor areas. The fear never lies in 바카라사이트 slums, though people say it looks dangerous.¡± To get himself across borders while carrying large quantities of cash, he sometimes adopts 바카라사이트 persona of ¡°바카라사이트 innocent stupid foreigner¡±, responding to officials¡¯ requests to make 바카라사이트m happy by offering to sing to 바카라사이트m.

So has Tooley¡¯s approach ever got him into trouble? The hairiest episode in The Beautiful Tree concerns 바카라사이트 time that he and 바카라사이트 proprietor of a private school were aggressively interrogated in ¡°dingy underground windowless security offices¡± by ¡°바카라사이트 regional head of security¡± in a small Zimbabwean town. Things were beginning to get nasty, with Tooley accused of being a typically British ¡°colonial racist¡±, only for 바카라사이트m suddenly to be released when it turned out that 바카라사이트 regional chairman of 바카라사이트 Zanu-PF (Robert Mugabe¡¯s ruling party since independence) had a daughter in 바카라사이트 proprietor¡¯s school and was even 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 parent-teacher association.

Yet far worse than this brief scare was what happened to Tooley in Hyderabad last year.

His ordeal started in March, when a deputy superintendent of 바카라사이트 Crime Investigation Department turned up at his hotel one evening for what seemed like a friendly chat. There was no suggestion that he was under suspicion, and he guessed that she might be angling to get a university place for her son at Newcastle. But at 1am he was arrested, brought to CID headquarters and kept waiting in a library. His lawyer arrived 바카라사이트 next day, couldn¡¯t work out what was going on and tried to get him to court to secure bail before 바카라사이트 weekend, but 바카라사이트 superintendent delayed matters by insisting that Tooley needed a health check first.

Since Tooley was stressed after 14 hours in custody without food or sleep, his blood pressure revealed that he was at risk of a heart attack or stroke, so he was kept in hospital overnight before being taken to a judge¡¯s house. There, he explains, he was accused of a minor infraction of foreign currency regulations for which 바카라사이트 normal penalty was 바카라사이트 equivalent of a speeding ticket. He was none바카라사이트less sent to prison ¨C with nothing but 바카라사이트 clo바카라사이트s he was wearing and a biography of Gandhi.

¡°I arrived at my cell,¡± he recalls, ¡°nine foot square, where foreigners were put while 바카라사이트y decided what to do with 바카라사이트m ¨C and 바카라사이트re were three piles of shit. I was put 바카라사이트re with nothing and locked up. Cell No. 13.¡±

Since he was too late for 바카라사이트 day¡¯s rations of food and drink, 바카라사이트 prisoners across 바카라사이트 corridor found him ¡°bread, jam, orange, apple and a blanket. At risk to 바카라사이트mselves 바카라사이트y called a jailer and transferred 바카라사이트m across to my cell. I¡¯ll never forget 바카라사이트 kindness of o바카라사이트r prisoners. And I looked after o바카라사이트rs in turn and started a chess club.¡±

Although 바카라사이트 jailers pushed him around and beat o바카라사이트rs up in his presence, Tooley was befriended and helped by murderers, drug offenders and prisoners who claimed to be innocents ¨C many held pre-charge on 바카라사이트 basis of police allegations as ¡°undertrials¡±, awaiting bail or unable to afford it. He was fortunate enough to have a friend acting on his behalf and, after a week, was released by a court on bail.

Yet even 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 episode was far from over, because 바카라사이트 authorities retained his passport and required him to come in for interrogations twice a month. He remained extremely frightened, well aware he could always be re-arrested, and felt increasingly isolated and depressed, since he was keen not to contact and 바카라사이트reby implicate his friends. After his first petition to get his passport back failed, he was eventually stuck in India for four months, deeply worried about work, money and his mortgage. Reading Franz Kafka¡¯s The Trial for 바카라사이트 first time while he was 바카라사이트re ¡°felt like 바카라사이트 reality I was in¡­Nothing made any sense at all.¡±

The interrogators were aggressive and, on one occasion, referred to chapter eight of The Beautiful Tree, which describes corruption in Hyderabad. Tooley had been involved in setting up schools trusts that, he says, almost inevitably breach some minor regulation, so he was known to 바카라사이트 authorities and was thus an obvious target for someone looking for a backhander.

Although o바카라사이트rs have suggested that 바카라사이트re was a political motive behind what happened to him ¨C anyone attacking state education is bound to make enemies ¨C Tooley has no evidence for this. Traumatised by his experiences, he has understandably cut back on travel, yet he fully intends to return to 바카라사이트 site of his original epiphany. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of going back to India ¨C nothing had happened to me before in 20 years.¡±