农村学校布局调整的“经济”与“不经济”

“Economy” and “Diseconomy” of the Rural School Consolidation

在教育机会普及是农村教育发展主导性任务的时期,"小而简陋"是小规模学校"经济"的实践逻辑,教育投入能力的绝对有限推动着学校布局调整;在教育质量提高是农村教育发展主导性任务的时期,标准化建设成为小规模学校"不经济"难以承受之重,教育投入能力的相对有限推动着学校布局调整。但是无论从现实需求,还是价值选择上,小规模学校都将在农村地区长期存在。挖掘学校布局调整史,可为农村学校布局调整做出经济理性解释。从规模经济视域看,适度的学校撤并扩大学校规模体现出积极的经济学意义。但是,一些未止于适度合理调整的农村学校布局调整实践,只顾学校规模与学校数量两个变量产生的办学成本,而忽略第三个变量家校距离产生的办学成本与上学成本,不当运用规模经济效益理论,结果导致边际效益递减,提供的教育服务缩水,教育问题和社会代价增加,农村学校布局调整的经济效益稀释。

When compulsory education is the main mission of the rural education,＂small and shabby＂is the practical logic of the ＂economy＂of small-scale schools and the absolute limit of education investment promotes school consolidation. When improving the quality of education is main mission of the rural education,school standardization of small-scale schools has become an unbearable burden and the relative limit of education investment promotes school consolidation. However,small-scale schools will exist in rural areas for a long time,whether from the perspective of the actual needs or the value choices. The history of school consolidation can provide an economic and rational explanation for rural school consolidation. From the perspective of economies of scale,moderate school consolidation and school scale enlargement reflect positive significance of economics. But some rural school consolidation is improper. The improper rural school consolidation only focuses on school running cost which arises from school scale and school quantity and ignores school running cost and going-to-school cost which both arise from other sides such as home-school distance. Improper use of economies of scale theory makes marginal utility diminished,education services shrinked,education problems and social costs increased. The economic benefit of rural school consolidation is diluted.