Engines of social mobility

The government’s intention to explore the reintroduction of so-called experimental schools – public institutions that implement innovative teaching practices in a bid to raise academic standards – is an attempt to right a very serious wrong.

The previous administration made the mistake of equating excellence with elitism, and thus ended up destroying public schools that served as nurseries of excellence.

These schools were created to help children who demonstrated particular academic talent and whose families did not have the means to enroll them in a private school where they would have more opportunities to develop their talents and to overcome their circumstances. They were, in this regard, engines of social mobility, doing exactly what a public education system should do.