ABSTRACT
The introduction of mass state-funded education was a hugely significant historical event in the UK, and indeed across the globe, as it served to empower large sections of society that had previously been disenfranchised. However, state education is not always depicted as a force for 'public good' as it can also be seen to reproduce social inequalities by acting as 'a vehicle for oppression'. In recent years, school systems within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) can be seen to have loosened their grip on education and have allowed for greater autonomy within education and provided government funding for new forms of schooling. There are over 20,000 schools across Columbia and other Latin American countries, the Philippines and Uganda. Their focus is upon improving the education of children from families on low incomes in rural areas.
