Explaining Publicness

‘Public’ education systems are among the most obvious achievements of modern societies. Control relates to aspects of control of schools and school systems beyond simple funding, including how far schools are required to comply with statutory obligations; where authority regarding hiring of teachers and other staff lies; and the legal and tax status of schools. School ownership thus is not about ‘bricks and mortar’ ownership, but rather the nature of the organisation managing and thus controlling the school to at least some extent, and how far it might be regarded as a public or private entity. In public school systems, such an indicator might also relate to the level of devolution of responsibility to the local level. Hiring and firing of teachers at the local level, once the province only of private schools, has become a feature of public school systems in many parts of the world.