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It's no surprise that the Ministry of Education will lose nearly 50% after its notification this Tuesday. If the Ministry of Education was a publicly available company, its shares will fall free, analysts will issue disastrous warnings and shareholders will ask for the CEO to resign. why? Because in the business world, businesses that spend billions of dollars without achieving measurable success will eventually collapse.
But when it comes to government agencies, failure seems to have no consequences except that taxpayers are making bills. The agency should have ripped a long time ago as President Donald Trump wants to abolish the Department of Education?
Almost half of the Ministry of Education's staff are eliminated
Ministry of Education's expenditure issue
Since its founding in 1979, the Ministry of Education has swelled into a bureaucratic giant. In 2023, the department's budget was approximately $79.6 billion, with the $120 billion pandemic relief fund not allocated to schools. Despite these astronomical numbers, performance of reading, mathematics and science students has stagnated or declined over the past 20 years.
Linda McMahon has been confirmed by the Senate to lead the Department of Education. (Getty Images)
To put this in perspective, imagine a public company like Ford spent $200 billion over the years, without increasing vehicle sales, increased safety, or product design innovation. Investors could flee, executives would be fired, and the company could face major challenges in terms of Wall Street stock prices. However, the Ministry of Education continues to spend too much without achieving meaningful results and not achieving accountability at all.
A how-to guide to dismantle the education department
Failed report card
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often referred to as the National Report Card, shows a consistent decline in student achievement. In 2022, the math and reading scores for the 9-year-old fell to levels not seen in decades.
US students ranked 28th out of 37 OECD member countries in mathematics. Japanese students scored the highest mathematics, while Colombian students scored the lowest. The US rankings are similar to 2018, with the last test being conducted.
The average score for the US in mathematics fell by 13 percentage points between 2018 and 2022, but the US was far from experiencing a decline in scores. In fact, 25 of the 37 OECD countries dropped at least 10 points in their average math scores from 2018 to 2022.
In science, the US ranked 12th out of 37 OECD countries. Japanese students ranked the highest and Mexican students ranked the lowest. The US average science score has virtually remained unchanged since 2018.
The education department failed. Time to get parents and states to take the lead
Much fewer OECD countries have significantly reduced science scores than mathematics scores. Seven OECD countries saw an average science score drop by more than 10 points.
High school graduates are enrolled in a university or workforce where there is less proficiency in basic subjects, and the university is forced to provide relief courses to new students. Currently, the return on investment is incredibly bad.
A bureaucratic nightmare
One of the Ministry of Education's biggest problems is its total inefficiency. A significant portion of that budget is directed towards administrative fees rather than directly benefiting students. The bureaucratic layer slows progress and funds are poured through federal programs, state agencies and local school districts before reaching classrooms. By the time the money reached students and teachers, much of it had been absorbed into management overhead.
This contrasts with companies like Amazon. If Amazon experiences significant inefficiency in the supply chain – delivery delays, wasteful resources, excessive management costs – leadership will either quickly or risk losing customers to competitors. In the case of the Ministry of Education, there is no competition and taxpayers are left to draft bills due to systematic inefficiency.
The report card for failed countries proves that change needs to be wiped out
There is no incentive for change
Publicly available companies must answer shareholders. If profits drop, you will need to make changes. However, government agencies do not operate under the same rules. Instead of demanding reform, policymakers often insist on more funding when test scores decrease.
Let's consider the case of a huge hit. In the early 2000s, Blockbuster gained the resources and brand recognition to dominate the home entertainment industry. But instead of adapting to new trends, they continued to double the outdated models, ignoring the rise of streaming services like Netflix. result? There are no longer any major hits.
Despite its own failure, the Ministry of Education is funded by taxpayers rather than voluntary investors, so there is no risk of going down.
Trump has the opportunity to get rid of our broken education system
What should I do?
If the Ministry of Education is a company, it must undergo a complete restructuring or shut down completely. The private sector has demonstrated again and again that innovation and accountability are successful. The same goes for education.
Here are some possible solutions:
Decentralization – The federal government should take a step back and allow state and local districts to take more control. Educational policies that work in one area may not be effective in another area, and local governance allows for greater adaptability.
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School choice and competition – Educational competition, just as competition in the free market leads to better products and services – fostering innovation and improving student outcomes through school selection, charter schools and voucher programs.
Results-based funding – Instead of blindly increasing the budget, funds should be related to measurable improvements in student performance. If a school district fails to improve, it should not receive additional funding without implementing proven reforms.
Cutting bureaucratic waste – The private sector will find ways to streamline operations consistently. The education system must be an exception. Eliminating unnecessary administrative costs and redirecting funds to teachers and classrooms will have a direct impact on student success.
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Will the Ministry of Education implement an IPO?
If the Ministry of Education is a publicly traded company, it will fail grandly and head to delisting – it will burn cash, fail to produce results, and lose the trust of the public. Unlike a failed business, however, there is an unlimited revenue stream in the form of taxpayer dollars, with no real consequences for poor performance. Without serious reform, the only future is one of continuous failures.
It's time to take a business-oriented approach to education. We will reduce waste, introduce real accountability for the outcomes that will make us the world's greatest educational nation. Otherwise, the Ministry of Education, as we know, will have three letters on the tombstone right away… RIP.
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