Throughout this course, we have seen not only how states are responsible to rebuilding education during times of conflict, but also the role international aid plays in establishing educational institutions. One sub-sector of this is philanthropy, particularly by ultra-rich individuals.
With rising inequality across the world, we see rising levels of philanthropic activity as well. It seems the two go hand in hand, meaning for philanthropic activities to continue, some community or region in the world has to continue suffering. Philanthropy is then more of an exercise in power rather than being a mechanism for the wealthy to return their wealth into society. Particularly in the realm of education, investment by rich people moves towards utilizing assets for public influence.
Private philanthropic foundations are notoriously hard to hold accountable- there is no form of election to remove those in power, and many are nontransparent (90% of 100,000 private foundations in the U.S. do not have a website). Being tax subsidized in countries like the U.S., many wealthy people use their donations to foundations to avoid tax cuts.
Apart from the financial fraud that many foundations find themselves embroiled in (for example the Varsity Blues scandal that broke in 2019, where parents paid William Rick Singer through his philanthropic foundation to ensure admission for their children in top U.S. universities), the intentions behind philanthropy in third world countries can, at the very least, be highly problematic. It can become paternalistic, where the good intentions of people giving charity becomes a mask for a judgmental approach to the position of those who are in need and about the things they should be doing differently to lift themselves out of poverty or disadvantage. Such a top down approach, with no regard for what the community actually needs according to its own people, can be more detrimental than beneficial.
Philanthropic foundations fail to get to the root cause of many issues, it is more like throwing money on top of an issue and hoping for the best. One example provided by Rob Reich further elaborates this:
"For example, is donating money or volunteering at the soup kitchen going to bring an end to hunger? The two are completely separate things. What’s appropriate for a soup kitchen is an aspiration to self-liquidation, to social conditions that render soup kitchens unnecessary."
One example of a philanthropic educational effort is the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. Built in 2007, the aim behind building this school was to "use the power of education to help impoverished young girls with exceptional promise to realize their potential and transform their lives" and "train a cohort of strong new leaders who would contribute to the success of post-Apartheid South Africa." A $40 million school was built with spacious and thoughtfully designed classes, excellent teachers, small classes, modern facilities and extensive grounds. The school garnered a lot of criticism due to the appalling amount of money spent to make such a posh facility for so few children when a majority of students were suffering under an education system still haunted by the apartheid Bantu Education Act. In addition to this, rather than taking a community-based approach to education, Oprah's school separated children from their homes and communities, even controlling their contact to their parents. Rather than helping the educational disparity that already exists in South Africa, Oprah's school highlights them.
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