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It is no surprise that the Ministry of Education has almost 50 percent in force after Tuesday’s notification this week. As the Ministry of Education Was a listed company, the shares would be in free fall, analysts would issue terrible warnings and would evoke shareholders for the dismissal of the CEO. Why? Because in the business world companies that spend billions of dollars without achieving measurable success, ultimately collapsing.
But when it comes to government institutions, failure does not seem to have any consequences – except the taxpayers who pay the bill. With president Donald Trump If you want to abolish the Ministry of Education, would this agency be torn long ago?
Almost half of the Ministry of Education staff to be eliminated
The expenditure problem of the Ministry of Education
Since its foundation in 1979, the Ministry of Education has been put into a bureaucratic colossus. In 2023, the budget of the department was around $ 79.6 billion, excluding an extra $ 120 billion in pandemic aid funds assigned to schools. Despite these astronomical figures, the performance of students in reading, mathematics and science has stagnated or fallen over the past two decades.
Linda McMahon was confirmed by the Senate to lead the Ministry of Education. (Getty Images)
To put this in perspective, imagine that a listed company like Ford would spend $ 200 billion for a few years, but no increase in vehicles selling, did not see any improvements in safety and no innovation in product design. Investors would flee, managers would be fired and the company would probably be confronted with major challenges from a share root perspective on Wall Street. Yet the Ministry of Education Stay overly published while he does not achieve meaningful results and absolutely no accountability.
A manual for dismantling the educational department
A failing report card
The national assessment of educational progress (NAEP), often referred to as the Nation’s report card, consistently shows the decreasing performance of students. In 2022, mathematics and reading scores for 9-year-olds fell to levels that were not seen in decades.
American students are in 28th place of the 37 OECD member states in mathematics. Japanese students had the highest mathematical scores and Colombian students scored the lowest. The American ranking was similar in 2018, the last time the test was taken.
The average score for mathematics fell by 13 percentage points between 2018 and 2022, but the US was far from only in experiencing a decrease in scores. In fact, 25 of the 37 OECD countries saw at least a 10-point decrease in the average mathematical scores from 2018 to 2022.
In science, The US ranked 12th From the 37 OECD countries. Japanese students are ranked on the highest and Mexican students is the lowest. The average science score of the US was almost unchanged since 2018.
Educational department has failed. Time to take parents and states the lead
In OECD countries, much fewer countries experienced a large decrease in science scores than in mathematics scores. Seven OECD countries saw their average science scores fall by 10 points or more.
High school graduates go to university or workforce with a lower skill at basic subjects, and universities are forced to offer recovery courses to incoming first -year students. The return on the investment is currently terrible.
The bureaucratic nightmare
One of the biggest Problems with the Ministry of Education Is the pure inefficiency. A significant part of the budget goes to administrative costs instead of going directly to students. Layers of bureaucracy slow down the progress, in which funds are led by federal programs, government agencies and local school districts before they ever reach a classroom. By the time that money comes to students and teachers, much of it has been admitted by administrative overhead.
Compare this with a company like Amazon. If Amazon experienced considerable inefficiencies in its supply chain – delayed deliveries, wasted resources, excessive administrative costs – her leadership would act quickly to streamline activities or losing the risk of competitors. In the case of the Department of Education, there is no competition and taxpayers are allowed to pay the bill for systemic inefficiency.
The report card of a failing nation proves the need for a major change
No incentive for change
A listed company must answer shareholders. If the profit drops, changes must be made. But government agencies do not work under the same rules. When test scores decrease, instead of demanding reforms, policymakers often argue for more financing – throwing good money after poor.
Consider the case of blockbuster. In the early 2000s, Blockbuster had the means and brand recognition to dominate the home tertainment industry. But instead of adapting to new trends, it continued to double his outdated model while ignoring the rise of streaming services such as Netflix. The result? Blockbuster ceased to exist.
The Ministry of EducationDespite his own failures, there is never the risk of going under because it is financed by taxpayers instead of voluntary investors.
Trump has the chance to get rid of our broken education system
What should be done?
If the Ministry of Education were a company, it would have to undergo a complete restructuring – or to be completely closed. The private sector has shown time and again that innovation and accountability stimulate success. Education may not be different.
Here are a few possible solutions:
Decentralization – The federal government must take a step back and allow states and local districts to take more control. Education policy that works in one region may not be effective in another, and local government ensures more adaptability.
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School choice and competition – Just like competition on the free market leads to better products and services, competition in education – through school choiceCharter -Schools and Voucher programs -can stimulate innovation and improve the results of students.
On outcomes -based financing – Instead of blindly increasing, financing must be linked to measurable improvements in the performance of students. If a school district does not improve, it should not receive extra financing without proven reforms.
Cut bureaucratic waste – The private sector consistently finds ways to streamline operations. The education system should not be different. Eliminating unnecessary administrative costs and the diversion of funds to teachers and classrooms would have a direct impact on the success of students.
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The Ministry of Education is an IPO doing an IPO?
If the Ministry of Education were a listed company, it would fail spectacularly and be on its way to a deletion – burning in cash, do not yield results and lose the trust of the public. In contrast to a failing company, however, it has an unlimited source of income in the form of taxpayer dollars and no real consequences for poor performance. Without serious reform is the only future that has constant failure.
It is time to follow a business approach to education: waste waste, demand results and real accountability for results that make us the largest educational country in the world. Otherwise the Ministry of Education will soon have three letters on its tombstone … RIP.
