There is no doubt that education is crucial for the intellectual and emotional development of a human being. At the same time, in the mind of most people there is no doubt either on who should provide that education: the state. Yet, time and again we see state schools letting down those who need them more: poorer people for whom a great education could be a medium of social mobility. Protesters in the US demand to defund the police and move the funds to more social spending , but any kind of private education seems to be out of the question.