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Bill: The Education Act
Details
Submitted by[?]: Constitution Committee
Status[?]: defeated
Votes: This is an ordinary bill. It requires more yes votes than no votes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: June 4065
Description[?]:
| We'd really like to fix the way in which we build the future of Baltusia. As it stands, there is a real lack of quality and effectiveness in the Baltusian education system. This starts with charter schools, in which there is a total lack of fruitfulness due to restrictive regulations on profit which choke the desire to create quality education for those in amongst our younger generation that need it most. So what can we do? How can we create competition, which in turn leads to lower operating costs and better results for the children? It's simple: we eliminate upper limits on profits. Then, charter schools are free to reinvest profits into the vital service that they provide. We also create the necessary competiton to weed out schools that aren't doing their job properly, and, in the process, create the space for increased quality and lower costs to the tax-payer. Let's not stop there, private preschools are also subject to the same restrictive regulations that kill quality and effectiveness that are so important and fostering the growth of our future. State schools are even more so ineffective because we don't have the money to fund them. Our nation is falling behind. So let's extend the aforementioned principle and allow for competition in preschools by completely privatising the preschool system. It wouldn't be fair to the children that go to sleep at night wondering when their next meal is to do that so, let's introduce preschool vouchers that fully cover the cost of a private preschool education for children that parents otherwise wouldn't be able to afford. This doesn't take away from the competitive environment because we won't subsidise education in private schools that don't meet acceptable standards. In fact, this system of vouchers will add to the competitiveness of these preschools. Let's not stop there, let's extend the same system of vouchers to higher education. Yes, this does mean that not everyone will receive higher education subsidies anymore, but, the majority of people don't need our help, so let's divert funding to those who really need it. Let's also lift the restrictions on private elementary and high schools in the country. Let's foster the growth of effective schooling that doesn't burden the taxpayer as much. Again, allowing for competition, lowering costs and raising quality. That's the Baltusian dream. One of the most important parts of this act is that whilst yes, it is important to raise quality and cost by shifting the responsibility of educating the future from the government to specialist companies that know what they're doing and how to do it properly, and yes, it is important to create competition thereby increasing quality and lowering costs, it is equally important to ensure that some regulation still exists as to protect our children from exploitation by the greedy, which is why we're proposing the introduction of a new national curriculum which extends to all schools, private, public or charter so that everyone gets at least a minimum level of education that is considered good, effective and cheap for the benefit of Baltusia, in the future. Will Horncastle, Democratic Party |
Proposals
Article 1
Proposal[?] to change Charter school policy (free, privately run, publicly funded schools).
Old value:: Charter schools must be non-profit and have a specific focus.
Current: Charter schools must have a specific focus.
Proposed: Charter schools must have a specific focus.
Article 2
Proposal[?] to change Higher education tuition policy.
Old value:: The government fully subsidizes tuition.
Current: The government fully subsidizes tuition.
Proposed: The government subsidizes tuition only for students from families classified as low-income or poor.
Article 3
Proposal[?] to change Pre-school education.
Old value:: The government maintains a system of free publically owned nurseries alongside heavily regulated private establishments.
Current: The government leaves development of nurseries to the private sector.
Proposed: Pre-school education is private, but the government covers the schoolcosts of poor families.
Article 4
Proposal[?] to change The education system.
Old value:: There is a free public education system and a small number of private schools, which are heavily regulated to ensure they teach adequate skills and information.
Current: Education is entirely private and schools run on a for-profit basis.
Proposed: There is a free public education system alongside private schools.
Article 5
Proposal[?] to change National Curriculum
Old value:: There is a National Curriculum which all government schools are obliged to follow; non-government schools are partially exempt.
Current: There is no National Curriculum; the curriculum is set by the schools themselves.
Proposed: There is a National Curriculum which all schools are obliged to follow.
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
| Date | 22:43:08, July 25, 2016 CET | From | Baltusian International Democratic Party | To | Debating the The Education Act |
| Message | "Welcome to the governmental system firstly, I am Alexandra Burgmuller the current president of Baltusia. With regards to this bill. Article 1: We fully agree, remove burden on our Private Schools by slashing non-profit regulation. Article 2: We agree, however there must be some security that students can be safe in the knowledge that they will be able to pay it off once they are in a job. Article 3: We agree with this. Article 4: Again we agree with removing heavy regulations. Article 5: We have always been for a curriculum decided either by the regional authority or the school itself. Despite our differences in article 5, we feel that this is a good proposal. We will wait for input from other parties before we decide what to do however your parties values are very similar to ours and I think we would work well together in the future and I am looking forward to it." President Alexandra Burgmuller, Leader of The Conservative Party of Baltusia |
| Date | 22:51:37, July 25, 2016 CET | From | Constitution Committee | To | Debating the The Education Act |
| Message | "I'm very grateful for your input Madame President, and for your warm welcome. I'm also happy that you mostly agree with us on this bill. We look forward to future cooperation in raising the standards of education in our nation." Will Horncastle, Democratic Party |
| Date | 22:57:41, July 25, 2016 CET | From | Unionist Alliance Party | To | Debating the The Education Act |
| Message | Hello, First we also welcome the new party and offer our warm welcomes. We hope to work with them. As for this bill we agree with article 1,2,4 and 5. We support a responsible private sector but can not support article 3. As we have 0 seats we have little influence but will vote in favour and hope the conservatives do the same. You have shone a light on important issues and highlighted how the private sector can help. Yours, Anne Peterson Leader of the New Democrats |
| Date | 23:02:25, July 25, 2016 CET | From | Constitution Committee | To | Debating the The Education Act |
| Message | "Ms. Peterson, I'm thankful for your kind welcome. We're happy that you support a majority of the bill but we want you to understand that regardless of your influence in the Senate, we value your opinion and input in regards to article 3. What are your concerns?" Will Horncastle, Democratic Party |
| Date | 23:10:41, July 25, 2016 CET | From | Unionist Alliance Party | To | Debating the The Education Act |
| Message | We believe that pre school education should be predominately state controlled but offer regulated private ones this giving choice and stability we feel that this move is away from a perfectly good policy to uncertainty. We would like to know if there will be regulation on private pre schools or preferably standards. |
| Date | 23:24:03, July 25, 2016 CET | From | Constitution Committee | To | Debating the The Education Act |
| Message | "I completely understand your concern. We need to ensure that as we look to the private sector, we ensure standards of safety, affordability, and reliability of education amongst children of all ages, including preschoolers. That is why Article 5, seeks to ensure that all schools, whether preschools, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, or charter schools must teach at the very minimum, what is considered a good education and then be given the freedom to build upon that and teach it in a way that they find effective." Will Horncastle, Democratic Party |
| Date | 23:56:10, July 25, 2016 CET | From | Baltusian International Democratic Party | To | Debating the The Education Act |
| Message | "As with the New Democrats I had some concerns about article 3 however I now understand that with the national curriculum being implemented across all the different ages of schooling we feel that this could be a positive way forward and will be hoping to help implement this scheme" Alexandra Burgmuller President of Baltusia |
| Date | 11:20:49, July 26, 2016 CET | From | Patriotic Party of Baltusia | To | Debating the The Education Act |
| Message | Mr Horncastle - we welcome you, your party and this stimulating debate. Our party agrees with this bill in principle. However, we agree with the Conservatives that there should be some flexibility in the National Curriculum (Article 5) and this is better handled at a local authority level. Tell me, what are your thoughts on religious schools and their role in education - we represent many Hosians some who who feel more comfortable sending their children to religious schools because of a very anti-religious policy that has been built up at state schools by left wing parties when they were in government? Xirtes Fisk, Leader Patriotic Party of Baltusia. |
| Date | 15:02:37, July 26, 2016 CET | From | United Democratic Party - Syndicalists | To | Debating the The Education Act |
| Message | welcome new party i cannot agree with this |
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Voting
| Vote | Seats | ||||
| yes |
Total Seats: 291 | ||||
| no |
Total Seats: 372 | ||||
| abstain | Total Seats: 87 |
| Random fact: The use of proxy servers makes it impossible to detect multiing and is therefore forbidden. Players who access Particracy through a proxy will have their accounts inactivated. |
| Random quote: "Stupid people are ruining America." - Herman Cain |