Which of the following is an argument against marketization as a means to achieve equality of opportunity?

• A. It can exacerbate inequality as advantaged families navigate the system more effectively.
• B. It universally promotes equal opportunity.
• C. It reduces parental involvement.
• D. It eliminates competition and accountability.

Answer: (D)

The idea being tested is how marketized schooling relies on competition among schools and external accountability to drive improvements and provide equal opportunities. The strongest critique is that if the system ends up eliminating competition and accountability, the whole mechanism breaks down. Without real competition, schools have little incentive to improve or attract disadvantaged pupils, and without accountability there’s less of a guarantee that resources and opportunities are distributed fairly. In that sense, the claim that marketization could eliminate competition and accountability highlights a fundamental risk: the policy only works if competition and oversight remain; removing them undermines the aim of equal opportunity. The other options describe common criticisms, but they don’t pinpoint this crucial mechanism as the barrier to achieving equality in a marketized system.