Re: [Marxism] Re: The hijab controversy

["Richard Fidler" <rfidler@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Johannes Schneider:

>> Paul [Flewers] advocates the subordination of schools under the state, where 
>> as Marx
demands its exclusion from the educational system. The difference is obvious to 
me. Marx
sees state and church as equally bad influences on education, while Paul 
prefers the state
over the church. <<

Paul can speak for himself on this, but I think it was José Pérez himself, in a 
much
earlier debate with me over his support for parents' free choice in education 
(school
vouchers), who pointed out that Marx (and Marxists, traditionally) were in 
favour of a
publicly financed (state) education system, but were opposed to state control 
of the
curriculum. That is what the critique of the Gotha program says, in part. So 
also the
Communist Manifesto, another favourite source of José's: "Free education for 
all children
in public schools...."

As to the churches funding their own religious schools, I think our concern 
should be to
protect the right of every child to attend secular schools. This can only be 
done by
making public school attendance compulsory. If the churches wish to organize 
classes or
schools in evenings or on weekends, so be it, but any such schools should not 
be a
substitute for public, secular (non-denominational) education.

RF


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