The main virtue of schools (for working-class adults) is that they give parents a break and keep kids out of the labor market at the same time. If kids learn something at school in addition, it's a bonus for them.
The main virtue of schools (for the capitalist class) is that they allow firms to outsource a function of their human resources departments -- tests (and credentials that depend on them) sort out applicants for them. If kids learn something at school in addition, it's a bonus for them.
The main virtue of schools (for working-class kids) is that they allow kids to get away from their parents and hang out with other kids (eccentric ones among them count pretty young teachers -- rare but there are some -- as life's little blessings). If they learn something at school in addition, it's a bonus for them.
That said, the globalization of the service labor market, though still very modest in terms of proportion, is here to stay:
"Although 11 percent of the world's 1.46 billion service jobs can be theoretically performed remotely, the number of those jobs offshored by 2008 will remain modest. An estimated 1.1 percent of total demand for labor in services will go offshore due mainly to internal company barriers" ("The Emerging Global Labor Market: Part 1 --The Demand for Offshore Talent in Services," June 2005, <http://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/ publications/emerginggloballabormarket/Part1/Index.asp>).
What "can be theoretically performed remotely" probably will be. This won't be even counteracted by a further rise in energy costs.
Yoshie Furuhashi <http://montages.blogspot.com> <http://monthlyreview.org> <http://mrzine.org>