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Comment by obscurette | Hacker News Reader

The purpose of education has never been to teach specific skills. The purpose of education has always been to provide literacy — the ability to understand the world, process information, and learn. Yes, this is done through activities that are relevant in the world at that particular moment, but that is simply an inevitability. And the reason is very simple — we don’t know what skills the people currently in school will need. A child stepping through the school doors for the first time today will enter the workforce in about 20 years and will likely work there for 40+ years. Anyone who thinks they know what the world will be like in 20 years, let alone 60 years, is simply a charlatan.

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Compulsory education actually reduced US literacy levels after it was introduced, and it’s also not its original stated goals, nor is today any better at literacy

54% of adults lack proficiency in literacy

Public schools have failed to “educate”

https://map.barbarabush.org/

As a European, I don’t know what a Public school means. But if it refers to the kind of school environment you can find on YouTube by searching for “gen alpha teachers,” then I’m surprised those schools still exist at all.

> As a European, I don’t know what a Public school means

It means "school paid for by taxes", which, as a European is probably the sort of school you attended

Private school is a school you have to pay to attend

In the UK it means a type of (established, large, non-profit) what Americans call a private school. We call the latter in general independent schools.

In the rest of the world "public school" vs "private school" is pretty clear, I think you guys in UK are the only one to call private schools "public school" and public schools "state school".

I think some other countries historically used British terminology and maybe some of its own (e.g. "government school").

The distinction between public and and private that British English historically had was useful too. State school is more accurate too (its distinguishing characteristic is state control and funding).

I also think the old (probably a century ago, or decades ago) "privately education" is a far more accurate description of what is now called "home education" in the UK and, even less accurately, "home schooling" in the US).

As an American it means a public school.

> Compulsory education actually reduced US literacy levels after it was introduced

I can't find any data that supports this causal assertion, and I can find plenty that contradicts the premise that US literacy rates have reduced since compulsory education began.

Citation?

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