The boarding school: an institution with an entire millennia of history, tracing its roots to medieval England. In fact, up to this day in the U.K., these establishments serve as the cornerstones of the educational system –at least for the wealthy. Everyone knows that the superficial difference between a normal school and a boarding school is the fact that children in the latter do not leave the premises; the school covers their lodging and food, while they follow the usually strict program of each individual establishment. But the division runs deeper than that.

When we think of boarding schools, with their fancy Gothic architecture and their stellar reputations, we think of meritocratic values, good students and traditional scholasticism. This meritocratic ideal however, which posits equality and fair chances for all, may not necessarily be true. Eton College, founded in 1440, which prides itself in being the top choice for royalty and the elite, having housed within its walls the majority of today’s royal family, as well as 20 PMs, defines this as its founding’s purpose:

“To have founded a great public school, which has continued from the day of foundation to the present day to be the principal place of education for the sons of the governing classes in this country.”

(-Cust Lionel, A History of Eton College)

Surely, you are thinking that such a definition does not sound very meritocratic. It only gets worse from here. The aforementioned work by Lionel Cust was written in 1899. Eton is no longer considered a public school. Of course, it never was (old terms can be muddy at times). The criteria of acceptance then were descent and status. Now, its money. Status, but with the glove on. 

 These prestigious schools have educated 38 out of 58 prime ministers of the U.K. Do not, however, be deceived. The other 20, while not attending boarding schools, have largely undergone private education, and have either gone to Oxford (31 Prime Ministers) or Cambridge University (14 Prime Ministers). 

Let us widen the scope; private education in a country like Britain. Almost 50 out of 58 PMs have been privately educated. The few others also come from substantial privilege. This begs the question, if we are to cling to the meritocratic ideal; how much of Britain is privately educated? The answer is shocking: a mere 6%! The rabbit hole goes further. Out of Oxford undergraduates, 40% are privately educated, in a country where less than one in ten pupils have this privilege. As Dr. Daniel Markovits, Yale law professor, states in the Oxford Union debate in 2022 on meritocracy and its failures, studies show that 80% of pupils in Oxford (which we will use as an example) stem from a background of significant privilege. The logical conclusion is that the system of admissions in Oxford is corrupt. Here’s the best part: it’s not.

 You can’t buy a place in Oxford. However, it seems that practically all the students there are rich! How can this possible? Now, I present my case. The system of education, which in our times has been promoted as democratic and fair, is not what it seems to be. It seems boarding schools and other private schools pave a path through their classrooms, into the most prestigious universities, directly into high society. What other explanation can there be for the stark disparities when it comes to social status of students in academia, or powerful positions in government? Many businesses logically want to hire the most capable candidates for the job. Government wants to use the most capable people. But how do those people always tend to be rich?

 Well, because in expensive private schools in the UK, the institution spends 30.000 pounds a year on the education of EACH student, while public schools spend a meager fraction of that money. Private schools have more resources for the best professors, the most modern equipment, and for maintaining their beautiful gothic buildings. It’s a completely different environment, and it lies behind a paywall so steep, that only a numbered few children can ever shine. And yes, they shine because of their intellect, but also because of their money.

 Let us stop branding society with meritocratic values, and let us think how many brilliant minds were lost due to economic disparities. I, of course, am not claiming that everyone can become a genius inventor or a Nobel prize laureate, simply afforded a private education, but it surely does help, as I have showcased. At the bottom line, I simply do not believe that in today’s day and age, there should be any school directly marketed to the “governing classes of the country”. That is because such a definition implies that said governing classes have already been decided, which it seems they have. And perhaps this is the great Freudian slip of boarding schools and private universities like Eton, Oxford, Christchurch, Cambridge and others. Harkening back to the ages of feudalism, it seems they still aim to foster those who will rule over us all, and they’re proud of it. 

 The lie of meritocracy is clear. There is a set path for the elite, set from the cradle. Through boarding school, to university, to Parliament. Such is the path of oligarchy.

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