| Re: "Students for sale: Private companies more interested in the bottom line than in educating citizens," by Javier Bermudez-Prado, Viewpoint, May 12-18, 2005.
I would like to thank Mr. Bermudez-Prado for pointing out the significant lack of attention that is being paid to education at the provincial (and federal) level. However, I take issue with his diagnosis of corporate sponsorship for education as "whoring out the minds of children for money." While corporate greed is the straw man that everyone loves to hate, it behooves us to look at some of the social initiatives being undertaken by companies in our own backyard before we claim unequivocally that "the only responsibility a corporation has is to make as much money as possible through whatever means it can."
The new jargon in the workplace is "corporate social responsibility" (CSR) and "sustainable growth," and believe it or not, it has had more of an impact on the high-level execs running the corporations than "Educating tomorrow’s citizens today," however laudable, has had on the premier and his tight-fisted cabinet. The Calgary Educational Partnership Foundation is a good example of an institution that has taken advantage of the drive towards CSR. Their mission is to "enhance student learning opportunities by facilitating dynamic partnerships among business, educators, government and school communities," and over the past 14 years they have used corporate money to sponsor the Mayor’s Excellence Awards Luncheon, the Stay in School Ski Day, and the Student Futures Conference – initiatives all aimed at the educational goal of teaching kids to think.
So, before we immediately jump into the familiar posture of "corporate money bad, government cash good," let’s first look at the implementation behind the policy, whether it comes from a school board or a boardroom. Partnering with corporations will always be an uneasy alliance, requiring vigilance lest it devolve into "(insert brand here) Appreciation Day" and suspensions for not supporting the right product. But let’s also take advantage of trends in the marketplace today and seek to encourage any attempt towards a sustainable future, even if it does come from a corporation.
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