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ASpecialSupplement:EducationWithoutSchool:
HowItCanBeDone

IvanIllich
JANUARY 7, 1971 ISSUE

Inapreviousarticle1Idiscussedwhatisbecomingacommoncomplaintaboutschools,
onethatisreflected,forexample,intherecentreportoftheCarnegieCommission:In
schoolregisteredstudentssubmittocertifiedteachersinordertoobtaincertificatesoftheir
ownbotharefrustratedandbothblameinsufficientresourcesmoney,time,orbuildings
fortheirmutualfrustration.

Suchcriticismleadsmanypeopletoaskwhetheritispossibletoconceiveofadifferent
styleoflearning.Thesamepeople,paradoxically,whenpressedtospecifyhowthey
acquiredwhattheyknowandvalue,willreadilyadmitthattheylearneditmoreoften
outsidethaninsideschool.Theirknowledgeoffacts,theirunderstandingoflifeandwork
cametothemfromfriendshiporlove,whileviewingTV,orwhilereading,fromexamples
ofpeersorthechallengeofastreetencounter.Ortheymayhavelearnedwhattheyknow
throughtheapprenticeshipritualforadmissiontoastreetgangortheinitiationtoa
hospital,newspapercityroom,plumbersshop,orinsuranceoffice.Thealternativeto
dependenceonschoolsisnottheuseofpublicresourcesforsomenewdevicewhich
makespeoplelearnratheritisthecreationofanewstyleofeducationalrelationship
betweenmanandhisenvironment.Tofosterthisstyle,attitudestowardgrowingup,the
toolsavailableforlearning,andthequalityandstructureofdailylifewillhavetochange
concurrently.

Attitudesarealreadychanging.Theprouddependenceonschoolisgone.Consumer
resistanceisincreasingintheknowledgeindustry.Manyteachersandpupils,taxpayers
andemployerseconomistsandpolicemenwouldprefernottodependanylongeron
schools.Whatpreventstheirfrustrationfromshapingnewinstitutionsisalacknotonlyof
imaginationbutfrequentlyalsooneofappropriatelanguageandofenlightenedself
interest.Theycannotvisualizeeitheradeschooledsocietyoreducationalinstitutionsina
societywhichdisestablishesschool.

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Inthisessay,Iintendtoshowthattheinverseofschoolispossible:Thatwecandependon
selfmotivatedlearninginsteadofemployingteacherstobribeorcompelthestudentto
findtimeandthewilltolearnthatwecanprovidethelearnerwithnewlinkstotheworld
insteadofcontinuingtofunnelalleducationalprogramsthroughtheteacher.Ishalldiscuss
someofthegeneralcharacteristicswhichdistinguishschoolingfromlearningandoutline
fourmajorcategoriesofeducationalinstitutionswhichshouldappealnotonlytomany
individuals,butalsotomanyexistinginterestgroups.
AnObjection:WhoCanBeServedbyBridgestoNowhere?

Weareusedtoconsideringschoolsasavariable,dependentonthepoliticalandeconomic
structure.Ifwecanchangethestyleofpoliticalleadership,orpromotetheinterestsofone
classoranother,orswitchfromprivatetopublicownershipofthemeansofproduction,we
assumetheschoolsystemwillchangeaswell.TheeducationalinstitutionsIwillpropose,
however,aremeanttoserveasocietywhichdoesnotnowexist,althoughthecurrent
frustrationwithschoolsisitselfpotentiallyamajorforcetosetinmotionchangetoward
newsocialarrangements.Anobviousobjectionhasbeenraisedtothisapproach:Why
channelenergytobuildbridgestonowhere,insteadofmarshalingitfirsttochangenotthe
schoolsbutthepoliticalandeconomicsystem?

Thisobjection,however,underestimatestherepressivepoliticalandeconomicnatureof
theschoolsystemitself,aswellasthepoliticalpotentialinherentinaneweducational
style.Inabasicsense,schoolshaveceasedtobedependentontheideologyprofessedbya
governmentortheorganizationofitsmarket.EventheChinesefeeltheymustadoptthe
basicinternationalstructureofschoolinginordertobecomeaworldpowerandanation
state.Controlofsocietyisreservedeverywheretothosewhohaveconsumedatleastfour
unitsoffouryears,eachunitconsistingof5001000hoursintheclassroom.

School,asIsuggestedinmypreviousarticle,isthemajorcomponentofthesystemof
consumerproductionwhichisbecomingmorecomplexandspecializedand
bureaucratized.Schoolingisnecessarytoproducethehabitsandexpectationsofthe
managedconsumersociety.Inevitablyitproducesinstitutionaldependenceandrankingin
spiteofanyeffortbytheteachertoteachthecontrary.Itisanillusionthatschoolsareonly
adependentvariable,anillusionwhich,moreover,providesthem,thereproductiveorgans
ofaconsumersociety,withtheirimmunity.

Eventhepiecemealcreationofneweducationalagencieswhicharetheinverseofschool
wouldthereforebeanattackonthemostsensitivelinkofapervasivephenomenon,which
isorganizedbythestateinallcountries.Apoliticalprogramwhichdoesnotexplicitly
recognizetheneedfordeschoolingisnotrevolutionaryitisdemagoguerycallingfor
moreofthesame.AnymajorpoliticalprogramoftheSeventiesshouldbeevaluatedby

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thismeasure:Howclearlydoesitstatetheneedfordeschoolingandhowclearlydoesit
provideguidelinesfortheeducationalqualityofthesocietyforwhichitaims?

Thestruggleagainstdominationbytheworldmarketandbigpowerpoliticsmightbe
beyondsomepoorcommunitiesorcountriesbutthisweaknessisanaddedreasonfor
emphasizingtheimportanceofliberatingeachsocietythroughareversalofitseducational
structure,achangewhichisnotbeyondanysocietysmeans.
GeneralCharacteristicsofNewFormalEducationalInstitutions

Agoodeducationalsystemshouldhavethreepurposes:itshouldprovideallwhowantto
learnwithaccesstoavailableresourcesatanytimeintheirlivesempowerallwhowantto
sharewhattheyknowtofindthosewhowanttolearnitfromthemandfinally,furnishall
whowanttopresentanissuetothepublicwiththeopportunitytomaketheirchallenge
known.Suchasystemwouldrequiretheapplicationofconstitutionalguaranteesto
education.Learnersshouldnotbeforcedtosubmittoanobligatorycurriculumorto
discriminationbasedonwhethertheypossessacertificateoradiploma.Norshouldthe
publicbeforcedtosupportthrougharegressivetaxationahugeprofessionalapparatus
ofeducatorsandbuildingswhichinfactrestrictthepublicschancesforlearningtothe
servicestheprofessioniswillingtoputonthemarket.Itshouldusemoderntechnologyto
makefreespeech,freeassembly,andafreepresstrulyuniversaland,therefore,fully
educational.

Schoolsaredesignedontheassumptionthatthereisasecrettoeverythinginlifethatthe
qualityoflifedependsonknowingthatsecretthatsecretscanbeknownonlyinorderly
successionsandthatonlyteacherscanproperlyrevealthesesecrets.Anindividualwitha
schooledmindconceivesoftheworldasapyramidofclassifiedpackagesaccessibleonly
tothosewhocarrythepropertags.Neweducationalinstitutionswouldbreakapartthis
pyramid.Theirpurposemustbetofacilitateaccessforthelearner:toallowhimtolook
intothewindowsofthecontrolroomortheparliament,ifhecannotgetinthedoor.
Moreover,suchnewinstitutionsshouldbechannelstowhichthelearnerwouldhave
accesswithoutcredentialsorpedigreepublicspacesinwhichpeersandeldersoutsidehis
immediatehorizonnowbecomeavailable.

Ibelievethatnomorethanfourpossiblyeventhreedistinctchannelsorlearning
exchangescouldcontainalltheresourcesneededforreallearning.Thechildgrowsupina
worldofthings,surroundedbypeoplewhoserveasmodelsforskillsandvalues.Hefinds
peerswhochallengehimtoargue,tocompete,tocooperate,andtounderstandandifthe
childislucky,heisexposedtoconfrontationorcriticismbyanexperiencedelderwho
reallycares.Things,models,peers,andeldersarefourresourceseachofwhichrequiresa
differenttypeofarrangementtoensurethateverybodyhasampleaccesstothem.

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Iwillusethewordnetworktodesignatespecificwaystoprovideaccesstoeachoffour
setsofresources.Thewordisoftenused,unfortunately,todesignatethechannelsreserved
tomaterialselectedbyothersforindoctrination,instruction,andentertainment.Butitcan
alsobeusedforthetelephoneorthepostalservice,whichareprimarilyaccessibleto
individualswhowanttosendmessagestooneanother.Whatareneededarenewnetworks,
readilyavailabletothepublicanddesignedtospreadequalopportunityforlearningand
teaching.

Togiveanexample:thesameleveloftechnologyisusedinTVandintaperecorders.All
LatinAmericancountriesnowhaveintroducedTV:inBoliviathegovernmenthas
financedaTVstation,whichwasbuiltsixyearsago,andtherearenomorethan7,000TV
setsforfourmillioncitizens.ThemoneynowtiedupinTVinstallationsthroughoutLatin
Americacouldhaveprovidedeveryfifthadultwithataperecorder.Inaddition,themoney
wouldhavesufficedtoprovideanalmostunlimitedlibraryofprerecordedtapes,with
outletseveninremotevillages,aswellasanamplesupplyofemptytapes.

Thisnetworkoftaperecorders,ofcourse,wouldberadicallydifferentfromthepresent
networkofTV.Itwouldprovideopportunityforfreeexpression:literateandilliteratealike
couldrecord,preserve,disseminate,andrepeattheiropinions.Thepresentinvestmentin
TVinsteadprovidesbureaucrats,whetherpoliticiansoreducators,withthepowerto
sprinklethecontinentwithinstitutionallyproducedprogramswhichtheyortheir
sponsorsdecidearegoodfororindemandbythepeople.Technologyisavailableto
developeitherindependenceandlearning,orbureaucracyandpreaching.
FourNetworks

Theplanningofneweducationalinstitutionsoughtnottobeginwiththeadministrative
goalsofaprincipalorpresident,orwiththeteachinggoalsofaprofessionaleducator,or
withthelearninggoalsofanyhypotheticalclassofpeople.Itmustnotstartwiththe
question,Whatshouldsomeonelearn?butwiththequestion,Whatkindsofthingsand
peoplemightlearnerswanttobeincontactwithinordertolearn?

Someonewhowantstolearnknowsthatheneedsbothinformationandcriticalresponseto
itsusefromsomebodyelse.Informationcanbestoredinthingsandinpersons.Inagood
educationalsystem,accesstothingsoughttobeavailableatthesolebiddingofthelearner,
whileaccesstoinformantsrequiresinadditionothersconsent.Criticismcanalsocome
fromtwodirections:frompeersorfromelders,thatis,fromfellowlearnerswhose
immediateinterestsmatchmine,orfromthosewhowillgrantmeashareintheirsuperior
experience.Peerscanbecolleagueswithwhomtoraiseaquestion,companionsforplayful
andenjoyable(orarduous)readingorwalking,challengersatanytypeofgame.Elderscan
beconsultantsonwhichskilltolearn,whichmethodtouse,whatcompanytoseekata

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givenmoment.Theycanbeguidestotherightquestionstoberaisedamongpeersandto
thedeficiencyofanswerstheyarriveat.

Educationalresourcesareusuallylabeledaccordingtoeducatorscurriculargoals.I
proposetodothecontrary,tolabelfourdifferentapproacheswhichenablethestudentto
gainaccesstoanyeducationalresourcewhichmayhelphimtodefineandachievehisown
goals:

1.)ReferenceServicestoEducationalObjectswhichfacilitateaccesstothingsor
processesusedforformallearning.Someofthesethingscanbereservedforthispurpose,
storedinlibraries,rentalagencies,laboratories,andshowroomslikemuseumsand
theatersotherscanbeindailyuseinfactories,airports,oronfarms,butmadeavailableto
studentsasapprenticesoronoffhours.

2.)SkillExchangeswhichpermitpersonstolisttheirskills,theconditionsunderwhich
theyarewillingtoserveasmodelsforotherswhowanttolearntheseskills,andthe
addressesatwhichtheycanbereached.

3.)PeerMatchingacommunicationnetworkwhichpermitspersonstodescribethe
learningactivityinwhichtheywishtoengage,inthehopeoffindingapartnerforthe
inquiry.

4.)ReferenceServicestoEducatorsatlargewhocanbelistedinadirectorygivingthe
addressesandselfdescriptionsofprofessionals,paraprofessionals,andfreelancers,along
withconditionsofaccesstotheirservices.Sucheducators,aswewillsee,couldbechosen
bypollingorconsultingtheirformerclients.
ReferenceServicestoEducationalObjects

Thingsarebasicresourcesforlearning.Thequalityoftheenvironmentandthe
relationshipofapersontoitwilldeterminehowmuchhelearnsincidentally.Formal
learningrequiresspecialaccesstoordinarythings,ontheonehand,or,ontheother,easy
anddependableaccesstospecialthingsmadeforeducationalpurposes.Anexampleofthe
formeristhespecialrighttooperateordismantleamachineinagarage.Anexampleof
thelatteristhegeneralrighttouseanabacus,acomputer,abook,abotanicalgarden,ora
machinewithdrawnfromproductionandplacedatthefulldisposalofstudents.

Atpresent,attentionisfocusedonthedisparitybetweenrichandpoorchildrenintheir
accesstothingsandinthemannerinwhichtheycanlearnfromthem.OEOandother
agencies,followingthisapproach,concentrateonequalizingchances,bytryingtoprovide
moreeducationalequipmentforthepoor.Amoreradicalpointofdeparturewouldbeto
recognizethatinthecityrichandpooralikeareartificiallykeptawayfrommostofthe
thingsthatsurroundthem.Childrenbornintotheageofplasticsandefficiencyexperts
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mustpenetratetwobarrierswhichobstructtheirunderstanding:onebuiltintothings,and
theotheraroundinstitutions.Industrialdesigncreatesaworldofthingsthatresistinsight
intotheirnature,andschoolsshutthelearneroutoftheworldofthingsintheirmeaningful
setting.

AfterashortvisittoNewYork,awomanfromaMexicanvillagetoldmeshewas
impressedbythefactthatstoressoldonlywaresheavilymadeupwithcosmetics.I
understoodhertomeanthatindustrialproductsspeaktotheircustomersabouttheir
allurementsandnotabouttheirnature.Industryhassurroundedpeoplewithartifacts
whoseinnerworkingsonlyspecialistsareallowedtounderstand.Thenonspecialistis
discouragedfromfiguringoutwhatmakesawatchtick,oratelephonering,oranelectric
typewriterwork,bybeingwarnedthatitwillbreakifhetries.Hecanbetoldwhatmakesa
transistorradioworkbuthecannotfindoutforhimself.Thistypeofdesigntendsto
reinforceanoninventivesocietyinwhichtheexpertsfinditprogressivelyeasiertohide
behindtheirexpertiseandbeyondevaluation.

Themanmadeenvironmenthasbecomeasinscrutableasnatureisfortheprimitive.At
thesametime,educationalmaterialshavebeenmonopolizedbyschool.Simple
educationalobjectshavebeenexpensivelypackagedbytheknowledgeindustry.Theyhave
becomespecializedtoolsforprofessionaleducators,andtheircosthasbeeninflatedby
forcingthemtostimulateeitherenvironmentsorteachers.

Theteacherisjealousofthetextbookhedefinesashisprofessionalimplement.The
studentmaycometohatethelabbecauseheassociatesitwithschoolwork.The
administratorrationalizeshisprotectiveattitudetowardthelibraryasadefenseofcostly
publicequipmentagainstthosewhowouldplaywithitratherthanlearn.Inthis
atmosphere,thestudenttoooftenusesthemap,thelab,theencyclopedia,orthe
microscopeattheraremomentswhenthecurriculumtellshimtodoso.Eventhegreat
classicsbecomepartofsophomoreyearinsteadofmarkinganewturninapersonslife.
Schoolremovesthingsfromeverydayusebylabelingthemeducationaltools.

Ifwearetodeschool,bothtendenciesmustbereversed.Thegeneralphysical
environmentmustbemadeaccessible,andthosephysicallearningresourceswhichhave
beenreducedtoteachinginstrumentsbecomegenerallyavailableforselfdirectedlearning.
Usingthingsmerelyaspartofacurriculumcanhaveanevenworseeffectthanjust
removingthem:Itcancorrupttheattitudesofpupils.

Gamesareacaseinpoint.Idonotmeanthegamesofthephysicaleducationdepartment
(suchasfootballandbasketball),whichtheschoolsusetoraiseincomeandprestigeandin
whichtheyhavemakeasubstantialcapitalinvestment.Astheathletesthemselvesarewell
aware,theseenterprises,whichtaketheformofwarliketournaments,haveunderminedthe
playfulnessofsportsandareusedtoreinforcethecompetitivenatureofschools.RatherI
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haveinmindtheeducationalgameswhichcanprovideauniquewaytopenetrateformal
systems.Settheory,linguistics,propositionallogic,geometry,physics,andevenchemistry
revealthemselveswithlittleefforttocertainpersonswhoplaythesegames.Afriendof
minewenttoaMexicanmarketwithagamecalledWffnProof,whichconsistsofsome
diceonwhichtwelvelogicalsymbolsareimprinted.Heshowedchildrenwhichtwoor
threecombinationsconstitutedawellformedsentence,andinductivelywithinthefirst
hoursomeonlookersalsograspedtheprinciple.Withinafewhoursofplayfully
conductingformallogicalproofs,somechildrenarecapableofintroducingotherstothe
fundamentalproofsofpropositionallogic.Theothersjustwalkaway.

Infact,forsomechildrensuchgamesareaspecialformofliberatingeducation,sincethey
heightentheirawarenessofthefactthatformalsystemsarebuiltonchangeableaxioms
andthatconceptualoperationshaveagamelikenature.Theyarealsosimple,cheap,and
toalargeextentcanbeorganizedbytheplayersthemselves.Usedoutsidethe
curriculumsuchgamesprovideanopportunityforidentifyinganddevelopingunusual
talent,whiletheschoolpsychologistwilloftenidentifythosewhohavesuchtalentasin
dangerofbecomingantisocial,sick,orunbalanced.Withinschool,whenusedintheform
oftournaments,gamesarenotonlyremovedfromthesphereofleisuretheyoftenbecome
toolsusedtotranslateplayfulnessintocompetition,alackofabstractreasoningintoasign
ofinferiority.Anexercisewhichisliberatingforsomecharactertypesbecomesastrait
jacketforothers.

Thecontrolofschoolovereducationalequipmenthasstillanothereffect.Itincreases
enormouslythecostofsuchcheapmaterials.Oncetheiruseisrestrictedtoscheduled
hours,professionalsarepaidtosupervisetheiracquisition,storage,anduse.Thenstudents
venttheirangeragainsttheschoolontheequipment,whichmustbepurchasedonceagain.

Parallelingtheuntouchabilityofteachingtoolsistheimpenetrabilityofmodernjunk.In
theThirties,anyselfrespectingboyknewhowtorepairanautomobile,butnowcar
makersmultiplywiresandwithholdmanualsfromeveryoneexceptspecializedmechanics.
Inaformerera,anoldradiocontainedenoughcoilsandcondenserstobuildatransmitter
thatwouldmakealltheneighborhoodradiosscreaminfeedback.Transistorradiosare
moreportable,butnobodydarestotakethemapart.Tochangethisinthehighly
industrializedcountrieswillbeimmenselydifficultbutatleastintheThirdWorld,we
mustinsistonbuiltineducationalqualities.

Toillustratemypoint,letmepresentamodel:Byspending$10millionitwouldbe
possibletoconnect40,000hamletsinacountrylikePeruwithaspiderwebofsixfoot
widetrailsandmaintainthese,and,inaddition,providethecountrywith200,000three
wheeledmechanicaldonkeysfiveontheaverageforeachhamlet.Fewpoorcountriesof
thissizespendlessthanthisyearlyoncarsandroads,bothofwhicharenowmainly
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restrictedtotherichandtheiremployees,whilepoorpeopleremaintrappedintheir
villages.Eachofthesesimplebutdurablelittlevehicleswouldcost$125halfofwhich
wouldpayfortransmissionandasixhorsepowermotor.Adonkeycouldmake20mph,
anditcancarryloadsof850pounds(thatis,mostthingsbesidestrunksandsteelbeams
whichareordinarilymoved).

Thepoliticalappealofsuchatransportationsystemtoapeasantryisobvious.Equally
obviousisthereasonwhythosewhoholdpowerandtherebyautomaticallyhaveacar
arenotinterestedinspendingmoneyontrailsandincloggingroadswithenginedriven
donkeys.Theuniversaldonkeycouldworkonlyifacountrysleaderswerewillingto
imposeanationalspeedlimitof,say,25milesanhourandadaptitspublicinstitutionsto
this.Themodelcouldnotworkifconceivedonlyasastopgap.

Thisisnottheplacetoelaborateonthepolitical,social,economic,financial,andtechnical
feasibilityofthismodel.2Ionlywishtoindicatethateducationalconsiderationsmaybeof
primeimportancewhenchoosingsuchanalternativetocapitalintensivetransport.By
raisingtheunitcostperdonkeybysome20percentitwouldbecomepossibletoplanthe
productionofallitspartsinsuchamannerthat,asfaraspossible,eachfutureowner
wouldspendamonthortwomakingandunderstandinghismachine,andwouldbeableto
repairit.Withthisadditionalcostitwouldalsobepossibletodecentralizeproductioninto
dispersedplants.Theaddedbenefitswouldresultnotonlyfromincludingeducational
costsintheconstructionprocess.Evenmoresignificantly,adurablemotorwhich
practicallyanyonecouldlearntorepairandwhichcouldbeusedasaploughandpumpby
somebodywhounderstooditwouldprovidemuchhighereducationalbenefitsthanthe
inscrutableenginesoftheadvancedcountries.

Notonlythejunkbutalsothesupposedlypublicplacesofthemoderncityhavebecome
impenetrable.InAmericansociety,childrenareexcludedfrommostthingsandplaceson
thegroundsthattheyareprivate.Buteveninsocietieswhichhavedeclaredanendto
privateproperty,childrenarekeptawayfromthesameplacesandthingsbecausetheyare
consideredthespecialdomainofprofessionalsanddangeroustotheuninitiated.Sincethe
lastgenerationtherailroadyardhasbecomeasinaccessibleasthefirestation.Yetwitha
littleingenuity,itshouldnotbedifficulttoprovideforsafetyinsuchplaces.Todeschool
theartifactsofeducationwillrequiremakingtheartifactsandprocessesavailableand
recognizingtheireducationalvalue.Certainly,someworkerswouldfinditinconvenientto
beaccessibletolearnersbutthisinconveniencemustbebalancedagainsttheeducational
gains.

PrivatecarscouldbebannedfromManhattan.Fiveyearsago,itwasunthinkable.Now,
certainNewYorkstreetsareclosedoffatoddhours,andthistrendwillprobablycontinue.
Indeedmostcrossstreetsshouldbeclosedtoautomotivetrafficandparkingshouldbe
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forbiddeneverywhere.Inacityopeneduptopeople,teachingmaterialswhicharenow
lockedupinstoreroomsandlaboratoriescouldbedispersedintoindependentlyoperated
storefrontdepotswhichchildrenandadultscouldvisitwithoutthedangerofbeingrun
over.

Ifthegoalsoflearningwerenolongerdominatedbyschoolsandschoolteachers,the
marketforlearnerswouldbemuchmorevariousandthedefinitionofeducational
artifactswouldbelessrestrictive.Therecouldbetoolshops,libraries,laboratories,and
gamingrooms.Photolabsandoffsetpresseswouldallowneighborhoodnewspapersto
flourish.Somestorefrontlearningcenterscouldcontainviewingboothsforclosedcircuit
television,otherscouldfeatureofficeequipmentforuseandforrepair.Thejukeboxorthe
recordplayerwouldbecommonplace,withsomespecializinginclassicalmusic,othersin
internationalfolktunes,othersinjazz.Filmclubswouldcompetewitheachotherandwith
commercialtelevision.Museumoutletscouldbenetworksforcirculatingexhibitsofworks
ofart,botholdandnew,originalsandreproductions,perhapsadministeredbythevarious
metropolitanmuseums.

Theprofessionalpersonnelneededforthisnetworkwouldbemuchmorelikecustodians,
museumguides,orreferencelibrariansthanliketeachers.Fromthecornerbiologystore,
theycouldrefertheirclientstotheshellcollectioninthemuseumorindicatethenext
showingofbiologyvideotapesinacertainviewingbooth.Theycouldfurnishguidesfor
pestcontrol,diet,andotherkindsofpreventivemedicine.Theycouldreferthosewho
neededadvicetoelderswhocouldprovideit.

Twodistinctapproachescanbetakentofinancinganetworkoflearningobjects.A
communitycoulddetermineamaximumbudgetforthispurposeandarrangeforallparts
ofthenetworktobeopentoallvisitorsatreasonablehours.Orthecommunitycould
decidetoprovidecitizenswithlimitedentitlements,accordingtotheiragegroup,which
wouldgivethemspecialaccesstocertainmaterialswhicharebothcostlyandscarce,while
leavingother,simplermaterialsavailabletoeveryone.

Findingresourcesformaterialmadespecificallyforeducationisonlyoneandperhaps
theleastcostlyaspectinbuildinganeducationalworld.Themoneynowspentonthe
sacredparaphernaliaoftheschoolritualcanbefreedtoprovideallcitizenswithgreater
accesstothereallifeofthecity.Specialtaxincentivescouldbegrantedtothosewho
employedchildrenbetweentheagesofeightandfourteenforacoupleofhourseachdayif
theconditionsofemploymentwerehumaneones.Weshouldreturntothetraditionofthe
barmitzvahorconfirmation.BythisImeanweshouldfirstrestrict,andlatereliminate,the
disenfranchisementoftheyoungandpermitaboyoftwelvetobecomeamanfully
responsibleforhisparticipationinthelifeofthecommunity.Manyschoolagepeople
knowmoreabouttheirneighborhoodthansocialworkersorcouncilmen.Ofcourse,they
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alsoaskmoreembarrassingquestionsandproposesolutionswhichthreatenthe
bureaucracy.Theyshouldbeallowedtocomeofagesothattheycouldputtheir
knowledgeandfactfindingabilitytoworkintheserviceofapopulargovernment.

Untilrecentlythedangersofschoolwereeasilyunderestimatedincomparisonwiththe
dangersofanapprenticeshipinthepoliceforce,thefiredepartment,ortheentertainment
industry.Itwaseasytojustifyschoolsatleastasameanstoprotectyouth.Oftenthis
argumentnolongerholds.IrecentlyvisitedaMethodistchurchinHarlemoccupiedbya
groupofarmedYoungLordsinprotestagainstthedeathofJulioRodan,aPuertoRican
youthfoundhangedinhisprisoncell.Iknewtheleadersofthegroupwhohadspenta
semesterinCuernavaca.WhenIwonderedwhyoneofthem,Juan,wasnotamongthemI
wastoldthathehadgonebackonheroinandtotheStateUniversity.

Planning,incentives,andlegislationcanbeusedtounlocktheeducationalpotential
withinoursocietyshugeinvestmentinplantsandequipment.Fullaccesstoeducational
objectswillnotexistsolongasbusinessfirmsareallowedtocombinethelegalprotections
whichtheBillofRightsreservestotheprivacyofindividualswiththeeconomicpower
conferreduponthembytheirmillionsofcustomersandthousandsofemployees,
stockholders,andsuppliers.Muchoftheworldsknowhowandmostofitsproductive
processesandequipmentarelockedwithinthewallsofbusinessfirms,awayfromtheir
customers,employees,andstockholders,aswellasfromthegeneralpublic,whoselaws
andfacilitiesallowthemtofunction.Moneynowspentonadvertisingincapitalist
countriescouldberedirectedtowardeducationinandbyGeneralElectric,NBCTV,or
Budweiserbeer.Thatis,theplantsandofficesshouldbereorganizedsothattheirdaily
operationscanbemoreaccessibletothepublicinwaysthatwillmakelearningpossible
andindeedwaysmightbefoundtopaythecompaniesforthelearningpeopleacquirefrom
them.

Anevenmorevaluablebodyofscientificobjectsanddatamaybewithheldfromgeneral
accessandevenfromqualifiedscientistsundertheguiseofnationalsecurity.Until
recentlysciencewastheoneforumwhichfunctionedlikeananarchistsdream.Eachman
capableofdoingresearchhadmoreorlessthesameopportunityofaccesstoitstoolsand
toahearingofthecommunityofpeers.Nowbureaucratizationandorganizationhave
placedmuchofsciencebeyondpublicreach.Indeed,whatusedtobeaninternational
networkofscientificinformationhasbeensplinteredintoanarenaofcompetingteams.
Themembersaswellastheartifactsofthescientificcommunityhavebeenlockedinto
nationalandcorporateprogramsorientedtowardpracticalachievement,totheradical
impoverishmentofthemenwhosupportthesenationsandcorporations.

Inaworldwhichiscontrolledandownedbynationsandcorporations,onlylimitedaccess
toeducationalobjectswilleverbepossible.Butincreasedaccesstothoseobjectswhich
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canbesharedforeducationalpurposesmayenlightenusenoughtohelpustobreak
throughtheseultimatepoliticalbarriers.Publicschoolstransfercontroloverthe
educationalusesofobjectsfromprivatetoprofessionalhands.Theinstitutionalinversion
ofschoolscouldempowertheindividualtoreclaimtherighttousethemforeducation.A
trulypublickindofownershipmightbegintoemergeifprivateorcorporatecontrolover
theeducationalaspectofthingswerebroughttothevanishingpoint.
SkillExchanges

Aguitarteacher,unlikeaguitar,canbeneitherclassifiedinamuseumnorownedbythe
publicnorrentedfromaneducationalwarehouse.Teachersofskillsbelongtoadifferent
classofresourcesfromobjectsneededtolearnaskill.Thisisnottosaythattheyare
indispensableineverycase.Icannotonlyrentaguitar,butalsotapedguitarlessonsand
illustratedchordchartsandwiththesethingsIcanteachmyselftoplaytheguitar.
Indeed,thisarrangementmighthaveadvantagesiftheavailabletapesarebetterthanthe
availableteachers.OriftheonlytimeIhaveforlearningtheguitarislateatnightorifthe
tunesIwishtoplayareunknowninmycountry.OrImightbeshyandprefertofumble
alonginprivacy.

Skillteachersmustbelistedandcontactedthroughadifferentkindofchannelfromthatof
things.Athingisavailableatthebiddingoftheuserorcouldbewhereasaperson
formallybecomesaskillresourceonlywhenheconsentstodoso,andhecanalsorestrict
time,place,andmethodashechooses.

Skillteachersmustalsobedistinguishedfrompeers,fromwhomonewouldlearn.Peers
whowishtopursueacommoninquirymuststartfromcommoninterestsandabilitiesthey
gettogethertoexerciseorimproveaskilltheyshare:basketball,dancing,constructinga
campsite,ordiscussingthenextelection.Thefirsttransmissionofaskill,ontheother
hand,involvesbringingtogethersomeonewhohastheskillandsomeonewhodoesnot
haveitandwantstoacquireit.

Askillmodelisapersonwhopossessesaskillandiswillingtodemonstrateits
practice.Ademonstrationofthiskindisfrequentlyanecessaryresourceforapotential
learner.Moderninventionspermitustoincorporatedemonstrationintotape,film,orchart
yetonewouldhopepersonaldemonstrationwillremaininwidedemand,especiallyin
communicationskills.Some10,000adultshavelearnedSpanishatourCenterat
Cuernavacamostlyhighlymotivatedpersonswhowantedtoacquirenearnativefluency
inasecondlanguage.Whentheyarefacedwithachoicebetweencarefullyprogrammed
instructioninalab,ordrillsessionswithtwootherstudentsandanativespeakerfollowing
arigidroutine,mostchoosethesecond.

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Formostwidelysharedskills,apersonwhodemonstratestheskillistheonlyhuman
resourceweeverneedorget.Whetherinspeakingordriving,incookingorintheuseof
communicationequipment,weareoftenbarelyconsciousofformalinstructionand
learning,especiallyafterourfirstexperienceofthematerialsinquestion.Iseenoreason
whyothercomplexskills,suchasthemechanicalaspectsofsurgeryandplayingthefiddle,
ofreadingortheuseofdirectoriesandcatalogues,couldnotbelearnedinthesameway.

Awellmotivatedstudentwhodoesnotlaborunderaspecifichandicapoftenneedsno
furtherhumanassistancethancanbeprovidedbysomeonewhocandemonstrateon
demandhowtodowhatthelearnerwantstolearntodo.Thedemandmadeofskilled
peoplethatbeforedemonstratingtheirskilltheybecertifiedaspedagoguesisaresultof
theinsistencethatpeoplelearneitherwhattheydonotwanttoknow,orthatallpeople
eventhosewithaspecialhandicaplearncertainthings,atagivenmomentintheirlives,
andpreferablyunderspecifiedcircumstances.

Whatmakesskillsscarceonthepresenteducationalmarketistheinstitutionalrequirement
thatthosewhocandemonstratethemmaynotdosounlesstheyaregivenpublictrust,
throughacertificate.Weinsistthatthosewhohelpothersacquireaskillshouldalsoknow
howtodiagnoselearningdifficultiesandbeabletomotivatepeopletoaspiretolearn
skills.Inshort,wedemandthattheybepedagogues.Peoplewhocandemonstrateskills
willbeplentifulassoonaswelearntorecognizethemoutsidetheteachingprofession.

Whereprincelingsarebeingtaught,theparentsinsistencethattheteacherandtheperson
withskillsbecombinedinonepersonisunderstandable,ifnolongerdefensible.Butforall
parentstoaspiretohaveAristotlefortheirAlexanderisobviouslyselfdefeating.The
personwhocanbothinspirestudentsanddemonstrateatechniqueissorare,andsohardto
recognize,thatevenprincelingsmoreoftengetasophistthanatruephilosopher.

Ademandforscarceskillscanbequicklyfilledevenifthereareonlysmallnumbersof
peopletodemonstratethembutsuchpeoplemustbeeasilyavailable.DuringtheForties,
radiorepairmen,mostofthemwithnoschoolingintheirwork,werenomorethantwo
yearsbehindradiosinpenetratingtheinteriorofLatinAmerica.Theretheystayeduntil
transistorradios,whicharecheaptopurchaseandimpossibletorepair,putthemoutof
business.Technicalschoolsnowfailtoaccomplishwhatrepairmenofequallyuseful,more
durableradioscoulddoasamatterofcourse.

Convergingselfinterestsnowconspiretostopamanfromsharinghisskill.Theman
whohastheskillprofitsfromitsscarcityandnotfromitsreproduction.Theteacherwho
specializesintransmittingtheskillprofitsfromtheartisansunwillingnesstolaunchhis
ownapprenticeintothefield.Thepublicisindoctrinatedtobelievethatskillsarevaluable
andreliableonlyiftheyaretheresultofformalschooling.Thejobmarketdependson
makingskillsscarceandonkeepingthemscarce,eitherbyproscribingtheirunauthorized
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useandtransmissionorbymakingthingswhichcanbeoperatedandrepairedonlyby
thosewhohaveaccesstotoolsorinformationwhicharekeptscarce.

Schoolsthusproduceshortagesofskilledpersons.Agoodexampleisthediminishing
numberofnursesintheUnitedStates,owingtotherapidincreaseoffouryearB.S.
programsinnursing.Womenfrompoorerfamilies,whowouldformerlyhaveenrolledina
twoorthreeyearprogram,nowstayoutofthenursingprofessionaltogether.

Insistingonthecertificationofteachersisanotherwayofkeepingskillsscarce.Ifnurses
wereencouragedtotrainnurses,andifnurseswereemployedonthebasisoftheirproven
skillatgivinginjections,fillingoutcharts,andgivingmedicine,therewouldsoonbeno
lackoftrainednurses.Certificationnowtendstoabridgethefreedomofeducationby
convertingthecivilrighttoshareonesknowledgeintotheprivilegeofacademicfreedom,
nowconferredonlyontheemployeesofaschool.Toguaranteeaccesstoaneffective
exchangeofskills,weneedlegislationwhichgeneralizesacademicfreedom.Therightto
teachanyskillshouldcomeundertheprotectionoffreedomofspeech.Oncerestrictions
onteachingareremoved,theywillquicklyberemovedfromlearningaswell.

Theteacherofskillsneedssomeinducementtogranthisservicestoapupil.Thereareat
leasttwosimplewaystobegintochannelpublicfundstononcertifiedteachers.Oneway
wouldbetoinstitutionalizetheskillexchangebycreatingfreeskillcentersopentothe
public.Suchcenterscouldandshouldbeestablishedinindustrializedareas,atleastfor
thoseskillswhicharefundamentalprerequisitesforenteringcertainapprenticeshipssuch
skillsasreading,typing,keepingaccounts,foreignlanguages,computerprogrammingand
numbermanipulation,readingspeciallanguagessuchasthatofelectricalcircuits,
manipulationofcertainmachinery,etc.Anotherapproachwouldbetogivecertaingroups
withinthepopulationeducationalcurrencygoodforattendanceatskillcenterswhereother
clientswouldhavetopaycommercialrates.

Amuchmoreradicalapproachwouldbetocreateabankforskillexchange.Each
citizenwouldbegivenabasiccreditwithwhichtoacquirefundamentalskills.Beyondthat
minimum,furthercreditswouldgotothosewhoearnthembyteaching,whethertheyserve
asmodelsinorganizedskillcentersordosoprivatelyathomeorontheplayground.Only
thosewhohavetaughtothersforanequivalentamountoftimewouldhaveaclaimonthe
timeofmoreadvancedteachers.Anentirelynewelitewouldbepromoted,aneliteofthose
whoearntheireducationbysharingit.

Shouldparentshavetherighttoearnskillcreditfortheirchildren?Sincesuchan
arrangementwouldgivefurtheradvantagetotheprivilegedclasses,itmightbeoffsetby
grantingalargercredittotheunderprivileged.Theoperationofaskillexchangewould
dependontheexistenceofagencieswhichwouldfacilitatethedevelopmentofdirectory
informationandassureitsfreeandinexpensiveuse.Suchanagencymightalsoprovide
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supplementaryservicesoftestingandcertificationandmighthelptoenforcethelegislation
requiredtobreakupandpreventmonopolisticpractices.

Fundamentally,thefreedomofauniversalskillexchangemustbeguaranteedbylaws
whichpreventdiscriminationonlyonthebasisoftestedskillsandnotonthebasisof
educationalpedigree.Suchaguaranteeinevitablyrequirespubliccontrolovertestswhich
maybeusedtoqualifypersonsforthejobmarket.Otherwise,itwouldbepossibleto
surreptitiouslyreintroducecomplexbatteriesoftestsattheworkplaceitselfwhichwould
serveforsocialselection.Muchcouldbedonetomakeskilltestingobjective,e.g.,
allowingonlytheoperationofspecificmachinesorsystemstobetested.Testsoftyping
(measuredaccordingtospeed,numberoferrors,andwhetherornotthetypistcanwork
fromdictation),operationofanaccountingsystemorofahydrauliccrane,driving,coding
intoCOBOL,etc.,caneasilybemadeobjective.

Infact,manyofthetrueskillswhichareofpracticalimportancecanbesotested.Andfor
thepurposesofmanpowermanagementatestofacurrentskilllevelismuchmoreuseful
thantheinformationthatapersontwentyyearsagosatisfiedhisteacherinacurriculum
wheretyping,stenography,andaccountingweretaught.Theveryneedforofficialskill
testingcan,ofcourse,bequestioned:Ipersonallybelievethatfreedomfromunduehurtto
amansreputationthroughlabelingisbetterguaranteedbyrestrictingthanbyforbidding
testsofcompetence.
PeerMatching

Attheirworst,schoolsgatherclassmatesintothesameroomandsubjectthemtothesame
sequenceoftreatmentinmath,citizenship,andspelling.Attheirbest,theypermiteach
studenttochooseoneofalimitednumberofcourses.Inanycase,groupsofpeersform
aroundthegoalsofteachers.Adesirableeducationalsystemwouldleteachpersonspecify
theactivityforwhichheseeksapeer.

Schooldoesofferchildrenanopportunitytoescapetheirhomesandmeetnewfriends.
But,atthesametime,thisprocessindoctrinateschildrenwiththeideathattheyshould
selecttheirfriendsfromamongthosewithwhomtheyareputtogether.Providingthe
youngfromtheirearliestagewithinvitationstomeet,evaluate,andseekoutotherswould
preparethemforalifelonginterestinseekingnewpartnersfornewendeavors.

Agoodchessplayerisalwaysgladtofindaclosematch,andonenovicetofindanother.
Clubsservetheirpurpose.Peoplewhowanttodiscussspecificbooksorarticleswould
probablypaytofinddiscussionpartners.Peoplewhowanttoplaygames,goon
excursions,buildfishtanks,ormotorizebicycleswillgotoconsiderablelengthstofind
peers.Therewardfortheireffortsisfindingthosepeers.Goodschoolstrytobringoutthe
commoninterestsoftheirstudentsregisteredinthesameprogram.Theinverseofschool

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wouldbeaninstitutionwhichincreasesthechancesthatpersonswhoatagivenmoment
sharethesamespecificinterestcouldmeetnomatterwhatelsetheyhaveincommon.

Skillteachingdoesnotprovideequalbenefitsforbothparties,asdoesthematchingof
peers.Theteacherofskills,asIhavepointedout,mustusuallybeofferedsomeincentive
beyondtherewardsofteaching.Skillteachingisamatterofrepeatingdrillsoverandis,in
fact,allthemoredrearyforthosepupilswhoneeditmost.Askillexchangeneeds
currencyorcreditsorothertangibleincentivesinordertooperate,eveniftheexchange
itselfweretogenerateacurrencyofitsown.Apeermatchingsystemrequiresnosuch
incentives,butonlyacommunicationsnetwork.

Tapes,retrievalsystems,programmedinstruction,andreproductionofshapesandsounds
tendtoreducetheneedforrecoursetohumanteachersofmanyskillstheyincreasethe
efficiencyofteachersandthenumberofskillsonecanpickupinalifetime.Paralleltothis
runsanincreasedneedtomeetpeopleinterestedinenjoyingthenewlyacquiredskill.A
studentwhohaspickedupGreekbeforehervacationwouldliketodiscussinGreek
Cretanpoliticswhenshereturns.AMexicaninNewYorkwantstofindotherreadersof
thepaperSiempreorofLosAsachados,themostpopularpoliticalcartoons.Somebody
elsewantstomeetpeerswholikehimselfwouldliketoincreaseinterestintheworkof
JamesBaldwinorofBolivar.

Theoperationofapeermatchingnetworkwouldbesimple.Theuserwouldidentify
himselfbynameandaddressanddescribetheactivityforwhichheseeksapeer.A
computerwouldsendhimbackthenamesandaddressesofallthosewhohaveinsertedthe
samedescription.Itisamazingthatsuchasimpleutilityhasneverbeenusedonabroad
scaleforpubliclyvaluedactivity.

Initsmostrudimentaryform,communicationbetweenclientandcomputercouldbedone
byreturnmail.Inbigcities,typewriterterminalscouldprovideinstantaneousresponses.
Theonlywaytoretrieveanameandaddressfromthecomputerwouldbetolistanactivity
forwhichapeerissought.Peopleusingthesystemwouldbecomeknownonlytotheir
potentialpeers.

Acomplementtothecomputercouldbeanetworkofbulletinboardsandclassified
newspaperads,listingtheactivitiesforwhichthecomputercouldnotproduceamatch.No
nameswouldhavetobegiven.Interestedreaderswouldthenintroducetheirnamesinto
thesystem.Apubliclysupportedpeermatchnetworkmightbetheonlywaytoguarantee
therightoffreeassemblyandtotrainpeopleintheexerciseofthismostfundamentalcivic
activity.

Therightoffreeassemblyhasbeenpoliticallyrecognizedandculturallyaccepted.We
shouldnowunderstandthatthisrightiscurtailedbylawsthatmakesomeformsof
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assemblyobligatory.Thisisespeciallythecasewithinstitutionswhichconscriptaccording
toagegroup,class,orsex,andwhichareverytimeconsuming.Thearmyisoneexample.
Schoolisanevenmoreoutrageousone.

Todeschoolmeanstoabolishthepowerofonepersontoobligeanotherpersontoattend
ameeting.Italsomeansrecognizingtherightofanyperson,ofanyageorsex,tocalla
meeting.Thisrighthasbeendrasticallydiminishedbytheinstitutionalizationofmeetings.
Meetingoriginallyreferredtotheresultofanindividualsactofgathering.Nowitrefers
totheinstitutionalproductofsomeagency.

Theabilityofserviceinstitutionstoacquireclientshasfaroutgrowntheabilityof
individualstobeheardindependentlyofinstitutionalmedia,whichrespondtoindividuals
onlyiftheyaresalablenews.Peermatchingfacilitiesshouldbeavailableforindividuals
whowanttobringpeopletogetheraseasilyasthevillagebellcalledthevillagersto
council.Schoolbuildingsofdoubtfulvalueforconversiontootherusescouldoften
servethispurpose.

Theschoolsystem,infact,maysoonfaceaproblemwhichchurcheshavefacedbefore:
whattodowithsurplusspaceemptiedbythedefectionofthefaithful.Schoolsareas
difficulttosellastemples.Onewaytoprovidefortheircontinuedusewouldbetogive
overthespacetopeoplefromtheneighborhood.Eachcouldstatewhathewoulddointhe
classroomandwhenandabulletinboardwouldbringtheavailableprogramstothe
attentionoftheinquirers.Accesstoclasswouldbefreeorpurchasedwitheducational
vouchers.Theteachercouldevenbepaidaccordingtothenumberofpupilswhomhe
couldattractforanyfulltwohourperiod.Icanimaginethatveryyoungleadersandgreat
educatorswouldbethetwotypesmostprominentinsuchasystem.Thesameapproach
couldbetakentowardhighereducation.Studentscouldbefurnishedwitheducational
voucherswhichentitlethemfortenhoursyearlyprivateconsultationwiththeteacherof
theirchoiceand,fortherestoftheirlearning,dependonthelibrary,thepeermatching
network,andapprenticeships.

Wemust,ofcourse,recognizetheprobabilitythatsuchpublicmatchingdeviceswouldbe
abusedforexploitativeandimmoralpurposes,justasthetelephoneandthemailshave
beensoabused.Aswiththosenetworks,theremustbesomeprotection.Ihaveproposed
elsewhere3amatchingsystemwhichwouldallowonlypertinentprintedinformation,plus
thenameandaddressoftheinquirertobeused.Suchasystemwouldbevirtuallyfool
proofagainstabuse.Otherarrangementscouldallowtheadditionofanybook,film,TV
program,orotheritemquotedfromaspecialcatalogue.Concernwiththedangersshould
notmakeuslosesightofthefargreaterbenefits.

S
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Somewhosharemyconcernforfreespeechandassemblywillarguethatpeermatching
isanartificialmeansofbringingpeopletogetherandwouldnotbeusedbythepoorwho
mostneedit.Somepeoplegetgenuinelyagitatedwhenmentionismadeofcreatingadhoc
encounterswhicharenotrootedinthelifeofalocalcommunity.Othersreactwhen
mentionismadeofusingacomputertosortandmatchclientidentifiedinterests.People
cannotbedrawntogetherinsuchanimpersonalmanner,theysay.Commoninquirymust
berootedinahistoryofsharedexperienceatmanylevels,andmustgrowoutofthis
experienceorinthedevelopmentofneighborhoodinstitutions,forexample.

Isympathizewiththeseobjections,butIthinktheymissmypointaswellastheirown.In
thefirstplace,thereturntoneighborhoodlifeastheprimarycenterofcreativeexpression
mightactuallyworkagainstthereestablishmentofneighborhoodsaspoliticalunits.
Centeringdemandsontheneighborhoodmay,infact,neglectanimportantliberating
aspectofurbanlifetheabilityofapersontoparticipatesimultaneouslyinseveralpeer
groups.Also,thereisanimportantsenseinwhichpeoplewhohaveneverlivedtogetherin
aphysicalcommunitymayhaveoccasionallyfarmoreexperiencestosharethanthosewho
haveknowneachotherfromchildhood.Thegreatreligionshavealwaysrecognizedthe
importanceoffaroffencountersandthefaithfulhavealwaysfoundfreedomthroughthem:
pilgrimage,monasticism,themutualsupportoftemplesandsanctuariesreflectthis
awareness.Peermatchingcouldsignificantlyhelpinmakingexplicitthemanypotential
butsuppressedcommunitiesofthecity.

Localcommunitiesarevaluable.Theyarealsoavanishingrealityasmenprogressivelylet
serviceinstitutionsdefinetheircirclesofsocialrelationship.MiltonKotlerinhisrecent
book4hasshownthattheimperialismofdowntowndeprivestheneighborhoodofits
politicalsignificance.Theprotectionistattempttoresurrecttheneighborhoodasacultural
unitonlysupportsthisbureaucraticimperialism.Farfromartificiallyremovingmenfrom
theirlocalcontextstojoinabstractgroupings,peermatchingshouldencouragethe
restorationoflocallifetocitiesfromwhichitisnowdisappearing.Amanwhorecovers
hisinitiativetocallhisfellowsintomeaningfulconversationmayceasetosettleforbeing
separatedfromthembyofficeprotocolorsuburbanetiquette.Havingonceseenthatdoing
thingstogetherdependsondecidingtodoso,menmayeveninsistthattheirlocal
communitiesbecomemoreopentocreativepoliticalexchange.

Wemustrecognizethatcitylifetendstobecomeimmenselycostlyascitydwellersmust
betaughttorelyforeveryoneoftheirneedsoncomplexinstitutionalservices.Itis
extremelyexpensivetokeepitevenminimallylivable.Peermatchinginthecitycouldbe
afirststeptowardbreakingdownthedependenceofcitizensonbureaucraticcivic
services.

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Itwouldalsobeanessentialsteptoprovidingnewmeansofestablishingpublictrust.Ina
schooledsocietywehavecometorelymoreandmoreontheprofessionaljudgmentof
educatorsontheeffectoftheirownworkinordertodecidewhomwecanorcannottrust:
wegotothedoctor,lawyer,orpsychologistbecausewetrustthatanybodywiththeamount
ofspecializededucationaltreatmentbyothercolleaguesdeservesourconfidence.

Inadeschooledsocietyprofessionalscouldnolongerclaimthetrustoftheirclientsonthe
basisoftheircurricularpedigree,orensuretheirstandingbysimply,referringtheirclients
tootherprofessionalswhoapproveoftheirschooling.Insteadofplacingtrustin
professionalsitshouldbepossible,atanytime,foranypotentialclienttoconsultwith
otherexperiencedclientsofaprofessionalabouttheirsatisfactionwithhimbymeansof
anotherpeernetworkeasilysetupbycomputer,orbyanumberofothermeans.Such
networkscanbeseenaspublicutilitieswhichpermitstudentstochoosetheirteachersor
patientstheirhealers.
ProfessionalEducators

Ascitizenshavenewchoices,newchancesforlearning,theirwillingnesstoseek
leadershipshouldincrease.Wemayexpectthattheywillexperiencemoredeeplyboth
theirownindependenceandtheirneedforguidance.Astheyareliberatedfrom
manipulationbyothers,theylearntoprofitfromthedisciplineothershaveacquiredina
lifetime.Deschoolingeducationshouldincreaseratherthanstiflethesearchformen
withpracticalwisdomwhoarewillingtosustainthenewcomeronhiseducational
adventure.Asteachersabandontheirclaimtobesuperiorinformantsorskillmodels,their
claimtosuperiorwisdomwillbegintoringtrue.

Withanincreasingdemandforteachers,theirsupplyshouldalsoincrease.Asthe
schoolmastervanishes,theconditionsarisewhichshouldbringforththevocationofthe
independenteducator.Thismayseemalmostacontradictioninterms,sothoroughlyhave
schoolsandteachersbecomecomplementary.Yetthisisexactlywhatthedevelopmentof
thefirstthreeeducationalexchangeswouldtendtoproduceandwhatwouldberequired
topermittheirfullexploitationforparentsandothernaturaleducatorsneedguidance,
individuallearnersneedassistance,andthenetworksneedpeopletooperatethem.

Parentsneedguidanceinguidingtheirchildrenontheroadthatleadstoresponsible
educationalindependence.Learnersneedexperiencedleadershipwhentheyencounter
roughterrain.Thesetwoneedsarequitedistinct:thefirstisaneedforpedagogy,the
secondforintellectualleadershipinallotherfieldsofknowledge.Thefirstcallsfor
knowledgeofhumanlearningandofeducationalresources,thesecondforwisdombased
onexperienceinanykindofexploration.Bothkindsofexperienceareindispensablefor
effectiveeducationalendeavor.Schoolspackagethesefunctionsintooneroleandrender
theindependentexerciseofanyofthemifnotdisreputableatleastsuspect.

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Threetypesofspecialeducationalcompetenceshouldinfactbedistinguished:oneto
createandoperatethekindsofeducationalexchangesornetworksoutlinedhereanother
toguidestudentsandparentsintheuseofthesenetworksandathirdtoactasprimusinter
paresinundertakingdifficultintellectualexploratoryjourneys.Onlytheformertwocanbe
conceivedofasbranchesofanindependentprofession:educationaladministratorsor
pedagogicalcounselors.TodesignandoperatethenetworksIhavebeendescribingwould
notrequiremanypeople,butitwouldrequirepeoplewiththemostprofound
understandingofeducationandadministration,inaperspectivequitedifferentfromand
evenopposedtothatofschools.

Whileanindependenteducationalprofessionofthiskindwouldwelcomemanypeople
whomtheschoolsexclude,itwouldalsoexcludemanywhomtheschoolsqualify.The
establishmentandoperationofeducationalnetworkswouldrequiresomedesignersand
administrators,butnotinthenumbersorofthetyperequiredbytheadministrationof
schools.Studentdiscipline,publicrelations,hiring,supervising,andfiringteacherswould
haveneitherplacenorcounterpartinthenetworksIhavebeendescribing.Neitherwould
curriculummaking,textbookpurchasing,themaintenanceofgroundsandfacilitiesorthe
supervisionofinterscholasticathleticcompetition.Norwouldchildcustody,lesson
planning,andrecordkeeping,whichnowtakeupsomuchofthetimeofteachers,figurein
theoperationofeducationalnetworks.Insteadtheoperationofnetworkswouldrequire
someoftheskillsandattitudesnowexpectedfromthestaffofamuseum,alibrary,an
executiveemploymentagency,oramatredhtel.

Todayseducationaladministratorsareconcernedwithcontrollingteachersandstudentsto
thesatisfactionofotherstrustees,legislatures,andcorporateexecutives.Network
buildersandadministratorswouldhavetodemonstrategeniusatkeepingthemselves,and
others,outofpeoplesway,atfacilitatingencountersofstudents,skillmodels,educational
leaders,andeducationalobjects.Manypersonsnowattractedtoteachingareprofoundly
authoritarianandwouldnotbeabletoassumethistask:buildingeducationalexchanges
wouldmeanmakingiteasyforpeopleespeciallytheyoungtopursuegoalswhich
mightcontradicttheidealsofthetrafficmanagerwhomakesthepursuitpossible.
Pedagogues,inanunschooledworld,wouldalsocomeintotheirown,andbeabletodo
whatfrustratedteacherspretendtopursuetoday.

IfthenetworksIhavedescribedcanemerge,theeducationalpathofeachstudentwould
behisowntofollow,andonlyinretrospectwouldittakeonthefeaturesofarecognizable
program.Thewisestudentwouldperiodicallyseekprofessionaladvice:assistancetoseta
newgoal,insightintodifficultiesencountered,choicebetweenpossiblemethods.Even
now,mostpersonswouldadmitthattheimportantservicestheirteachershaverendered
themaresuchadviceorcounsel,givenatachancemeetingorinatutorial.

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Whilenetworkadministratorswouldconcentrateprimarilyonthebuildingand
maintenanceofroadsprovidingaccesstoresources,thepedagoguewouldhelpthestudent
tofindthepathwhichforhimcouldleadfastesttohisgoal.Ifastudentwantstolearn
spokenCantonesefromaChineseneighbor,thepedagoguewouldbeavailabletojudge
theirproficiency,andtohelpthemselectthetextbookandmethodsmostsuitabletotheir
talents,character,andthetimeavailableforstudy.Hecancounselthewouldbeairplane
mechaniconfindingthebestplacesforapprenticeship.Hecanrecommendbooksto
somebodywhowantstofindchallengingpeerstodiscussAfricanhistory.Likethe
networkadministrator,thepedagogicalcounselorconceivesofhimselfasaprofessional
educator.Accesstoeithercouldbegainedbyindividualsthroughtheuseofeducational
vouchers.

Theroleoftheeducationalinitiatororleader,themasterortrueleader,issomewhat
moreelusivethanthatoftheprofessionaladministratororpedagogue.Thisissobecause
leadershipisitselfhardtodefine.Inpractice,anindividualisaleaderifpeoplefollowhis
initiative,andbecomeapprenticesinhisprogressivediscoveries.Itishardtoamplifythis
definitionexceptinthelightofpersonalvaluesorpreference.Frequently,thisinvolvesa
propheticvisionofentirelynewstandardsquiteunderstandabletodayinwhichpresent
wrongwillturnouttoberight.Inasocietywhichwouldhonortherighttocall
assembliesthroughpeermatching,theabilitytotakeeducationalinitiativeonaspecific
subjectwouldbeaswideasaccesstolearningitself.But,ofcourse,thereisavast
differencebetweentheinitiativetakenbysomeonetocallafruitfulmeetingtodiscussthis
article,andtheabilityofsomeonetoprovideleadershipinthesystematicexplorationofits
implications.

Leadershipalsodoesnotdependonbeingright.AsThomasKuhnpointsout,inaperiod
ofconstantlychangingparadigmsmostoftheverydistinguishedleadersareboundtobe
provenwrongbythetestofhindsight.Intellectualleadershipdoesdependonsuperior
intellectualdisciplineandimagination,andthewillingnesstoassociatewithothersintheir
exercise.Alearner,forexample,maythinkthatthereisananalogybetweentheUS
antislaverymovementortheCubanRevolutionandwhatishappeninginHarlem.The
educatorwhoishimselfahistoriancanshowhimhowtoappreciatetheflawsinsuchan
analogy.Hemayretracehisownstepsasahistorian.Hemayinvitethelearnerto
participateinhisownresearch.Inbothcaseshewillapprenticehispupilinacriticalart
whichisrareinschoolandwhichmoneyorotherfavorscannotbuy.

Therelationshipofmasteranddiscipleisnotrestrictedtointellectualdiscipline.Ithasits
counterpartinthearts,inphysics,inreligion,inpsychoanalysis,andinpedagogy.Itfits
mountainclimbing,silverworkingandpolitics,cabinetmakingandpersonnel
administration.Whatiscommontoalltruemasterpupilrelationshipsistheawareness

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bothsharethattheirrelationshipisliterallypricelessandinverydifferentwaysa
privilegeforboth.

Charlatans,demagogues,clowns,proselytizers,corruptmastersandsimoniacalpriests,
tricksters,miracleworkers,andmessiahshaveprovencapableofassumingleadership
rolesandthusshowthedangersofanydependenceofadiscipleonthemaster.Different
societieshavetakendifferentmeasurestodefendthemselvesagainstthesecounterfeit
teachers.Indiansreliedoncastelineage,easternJewsonthespirituallineageofrabbis,
highperiodsofChristianityonanexemplarylifeofmonasticvirtue,otherperiodson
hierarchicalorders.Oursocietyreliesoncertificationbyschools.Itisdoubtfulthatthis
procedureprovidesabetterscreening,butifitshouldbeclaimedthatitdoes,thenthe
counterclaimcanbemadethatitdoessoatthecostofmakingdiscipleshipalmostvanish.

Inpractice,therewillalwaysbeafuzzylinebetweentheteacherofskillsandthe
educationalleadersidentifiedabove,andtherearenopracticalreasonswhyaccesstosome
leaderscouldnotbegainedbydiscoveringthemasterinthedrillteacherwhointroduces
studentstohisdiscipline.

Ontheotherhand,whatcharacterizesthetruemasterdisciplerelationshipisitspriceless
character.Aristotlespeaksofitasamoraltypeoffriendship,whichisnotonfixedterms:
itmakesagift,ordoeswhateveritdoes,astoafriend.ThomasAquinassaysofthiskind
ofteachingthatinevitablyitisanactofloveandmercy.Thiskindofteachingisalwaysa
luxuryfortheteacherandaformofleisure(inGreek,schol)forhimandhispupil:an
activitymeaningfulforbothhavingnoulteriorpurpose.

Torelyfortrueintellectualleadershiponthedesireofgiftedpeopletoprovideitis
obviouslynecessaryeveninoursociety,butitcouldnotbemadeintoapolicynow.We
mustfirstconstructasocietyinwhichpersonalactsthemselvesreacquireavaluehigher
thanthatofmakingthingsandmanipulatingpeople.5Insuchasocietyexploratory,
inventive,creativeteachingwouldlogicallybecountedamongthemostdesirableformsof
leisurelyunemployment.Butwedonothavetowaituntiltheadventofutopia.Even
nowoneofthemostimportantconsequencesofdeschoolingandtheestablishmentof
peermatchingfacilitieswouldbetheinitiativewhichmasterscouldtaketoassemble
congenialdisciples.Itwouldalsoaswehaveseenprovideampleopportunityfor
potentialdisciplestoshareinformationortoselectamaster.

Schoolsarenottheonlyinstitutionswhichpervertprofessionsbypackagingroles.
Hospitalsrenderhomecareincreasinglyimpossibleandthenjustifyhospitalizationasa
benefittothesick.Atthesametimethedoctorslegitimacyandabilitytowork
increasinglycometodependonhisassociationwithahospital,eventhoughheisstillless
totallydependentonitthanareteachersonschools.Thesamecouldbesaidaboutcourts
whichovercrowdtheircalendarsasnewtransactionsacquirelegalsolemnityandthus
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delayjustice.Oritcouldbesaidaboutchurches,whichsucceedinmakingacaptive
professionoutofafreevocation.Theresultineachcaseisscarceserviceathighercost
andgreaterincometothelesscompetentmembersoftheprofession.

Solongastheolderprofessionsmonopolize,superiorincomeandprestigeitisdifficultto
reformthem.Theprofessionoftheschoolteachershouldbeeasiertoreform,andnotonly
becauseitisofmorerecentorigin.Theeducationalprofessionnowclaimsa
comprehensivemonopolyitclaimstheexclusivecompetencetoapprenticenotonlyits
ownnovicesbutthoseofotherprofessionsaswell.Thisoverexpansionrendersit
vulnerabletoanyprofessionwhichwouldreclaimtherighttoteachitsownapprentices.
Schoolteachersareoverwhelminglybadlypaidandfrustratedbythetightcontrolofthe
schoolsystem.Themostenterprisingandgiftedamongthemwouldprobablyfindmore
congenialwork,moreindependence,andevenhigherincomesbyspecializingasskill
models,networkadministrators,orguidancespecialists.

Finally,thedependenceoftheregisteredstudentonthecertifiedteachercanbebroken
moreeasilythanhisdependenceonotherprofessionalsforinstance,thatofa
hospitalizedpatientonhisdoctor.Ifschoolsceasedtobecompulsory,teacherswhofind
theirsatisfactionintheexerciseofpedagogicalauthorityintheclassroomwouldbeleft
onlywithpupilswhoareattractedbytheirstyle.Thedisestablishmentofourpresent
professionalstructurecouldbeginwiththedroppingoutoftheschoolteacher.

Thedisestablishmentofschoolswillinevitablyhappenanditwillhappensurprisingly
fast.Itcannotberetardedverymuchlongeranditishardlynecessarytovigorously
promoteit,forthisisbeingdonenow.Whatisworthwhileistotrytoorientitinahopeful
direction,foritcouldtakeplaceintwodiametricallyopposedways.

Thefirstwouldbetheexpansionofthemandateofthepedagogueandhisincreasing
controloversocietyevenoutsideschool.Withthebestofintentionsandsimplyby
expandingtherhetoricnowusedinschool,thepresentcrisisintheschoolscouldprovide
educatorswithanexcusetouseallthenetworksofcontemporarysocietytofunneltheir
messagestousforourowngood.Deschooling,whichwecannotstop,couldmeanthe
adventofabravenewworlddominatedbywellintentionedadministratorsof
programmedinstruction.

Ontheotherhand,thegrowingawarenessonthepartofgovernments,aswellasof
employers,taxpayers,enlightenedpedagogues,andschooladministrators,thatgraded
curricularteachingforcertificationhasbecomeharmfulcouldofferlargemassesofpeople
anextraordinaryopportunity:thatofpreservingtherightofequalaccesstothetoolsboth
oflearningandofsharingwithotherswhattheyknoworbelieve.Butthiswouldrequire
thattheeducationalrevolutionbeguidedbycertaingoals.

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1.)Toliberateaccesstothingsbyabolishingthecontrolwhichpersonsandinstitutions
nowexerciseovertheireducationalvalues.

2.)Toliberatethesharingofskillsbyguaranteeingfreedomtoteachorexercisethemon
request.

3.)Toliberatethecriticalandcreativeresourcesofpeoplebyreturningtoindividual
personstheabilitytocallandholdmeetings:anabilitynowincreasinglymonopolizedby
institutionswhichclaimtospeakforthepeople.

4.)Toliberatetheindividualfromtheobligationtoshapehisexpectationstotheservices
offeredbyanyestablishedprofessionbyprovidinghimwiththeopportunitytodrawon
theexperienceofhispeersandtoentrusthimselftotheteacher,guide,adviser,orhealerof
hischoice.

Inevitablydeschoolingofsocietyblursthedistinctionsbetweeneconomics,education,
andpoliticsonwhichthestabilityofthepresentworldorderandthestabilityofnations
nowrests.

InadditiontothetentativeconclusionsoftheCarnegieCommissionreports,thelastyear
hasbroughtforthaseriesofimportantdocumentswhichshowthatresponsiblepeopleare
becomingawareofthefactthatschoolingforcertificationcannotcontinuetobecounted
uponasthecentraleducationaldeviceofamodernsociety.JuliusNyereofTanzaniahas
announcedplanstointegrateeducationwiththelifeofthevillage.InCanada,theWright
Commissiononpostsecondaryeducationhasreportedthatnoknownsystemofformal
educationcouldprovideequalopportunitiesforthecitizensofOntario.Thepresidentof
Peruhasacceptedtherecommendationofhiscommissiononeducation,whichproposesto
abolishfreeschoolsinfavoroffreeeducationalopportunitiesprovidedthroughoutlife.In
factheisreportedtohaveinsistedthatthisprogramproceedslowlyatfirstinordertokeep
teachersinschoolandoutofthewayoftrueeducators.

Whathashappenedisthatsomeoftheboldestandmostimaginativepublicleadersfind
theirinsightsintoschoolfailuresmatchingthoseofradicalfreespirits(forexample,Paul
Goodman)whoonlyafewyearsagowereseenasanarchic.Moreprogrammatic
radicals,ontheotherhand,oftensimplyseektoobtaincontroloverschoolsandother
teachingmediaandthusonlystrengthenthecertificationsystem.

Thealternativetosocialcontrolthroughtheschoolsisthevoluntaryparticipationin
societythroughnetworkswhichprovideaccesstoallitsresourcesforlearning.Infact
thesenetworksnowexist,buttheyarerarelyusedforeducationalpurposes.Thecrisisof
schooling,ifitistohaveanypositiveconsequence,willinevitablyleadtotheir
incorporationintotheeducationalprocess.

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Copyright1970byIvanIllich

1 Schooling:TheRitualofProgress,NYR,December3,1970.

2 Documentationontheconstruction,testing,anduseofsuchmachinesisnowinpreparationatCIDOC.

3 WhyWeMustAbolishSchooling,NYR,July2,1970.

4 NeighborhoodGovernments:TheLocalFoundationsofPoliticalLife,BobbsMerrill,1969.

5 Forafullerdiscussionofthesedistinctions,seemyforthcomingbook,DeSchoolingSociety.

1963-2016 NYREV, Inc. All rights reserved.

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