Download Traidcraft's Elephant Dung game (Microsoft Excel)

Commercial Activities in Schools - Best practice principles
Code of practice on corporate involvement in schools produced by the Dept. for Education and Skills, the ISBA (The Voice of British Advertisers) and the Consumers' Association

Privatising Public Education Altogether
An article based on the Canadian experience, by Crawford Kilian, which examines the forces pushing towards the privatisation of schools and the impact of GATS (Global Agreement on Trade in Services)

'E' is for E-Commerce
This article from the May/June 2000 issue of the online magazine Outfront takes a look at the way US firms are using the computer equipment they 'donate' to poor schools as a channel to deliver hard-sell advertising to children.

Commercial Influences in Schools
Educational Psychology Kathie Nunley on the manipulation and exploitation of young people.
Sponsorship and other marketing in schools

Guidelines drawn up by the Finnish Consumer Agency

Sportsmatch
Web site of the Government-programme which encourages schools to seek commercial sponsorship for sporting activities

Don't buy the arguments for advertising in schools
A critique of the Seattle School Board's project to raise $1 million a year from advertising

Earn while they learn
Tony Higgins was heckled by teachers when suggesting schools focus on earning extra money. But he says commercial sponsorship is the way forward.

The Great Education Scandal
In a major report on the state of education across the world, New Internationalist's Chris Brazier asks: who is selling the world's children down the river?

In the United States of America 40% of secondary schools have received free television, video recorders and satellite dishes from a company called Channel One. In return the schools agree to show Channel One's programmes to almost all their students every day. The twelve minute news programme contains two minutes of adverts for sweets, fatty foods, clothes, music and trainers. The advertisers pay as much as $200,000 for thirty seconds because the adverts are shown to a captive audience - the students have to watch them!

Also in the USA, lots of schools receive money from Coca Cola and Pepsi-Cola for selling their products to the students. Here is an extract from a letter sent to heads of schools in Colorado Springs by the Coke representative:

Dear Principal

Here we are in year two of the great Coke contract. I hope your first weeks were successful and that pretty much everything is in place (except staffing, technology, planning time and telephones).

First, the good news: this year's installment from Coke is 'in the house' and checks will be cut for you to pick up in my office this week.

Now the not-so-good news: we must sell 70,000 cases of product (including juices, sodas, waters etc) during the first three years of the contract.

The math on how to achieve this is really quite simple. Last year we had 32,439 students, 3,000 employees and 176 days in the school year. If 35,439 staff and students buy one Coke product every other day for a school year, we will double the required quota.

Here is how we can do it:

1. Allow students to purchase and consume vended products throughout the day. If sodas are not allowed in classes, consider allowing juices, teas and waters.

2. Locate machines where they are accessible to the students all day. Location, location, location is the key.

3. A list of Coke products is enclosed to allow you to select from the entire menu.

4. A calendar of promotional events is enclosed to help you advertise Coke products.

I know this is 'just one more thing from downtown', but the long-term benefits are worth it.
Thanks for all your help.
John Bushey - The Coke Dude

Meanwhile, in Britain, the Government seems intent on rushing headlong into a similar approach to funding education. A large number of experiments have been undertake to try to find private sector funding for schools. Amongst these were the 'Education Action Zones'. Where clusters of failing schools were identified, their management was handed over to a forum which includes business interests who provide additional money and help to run the zone.

The EAZ partners have included some rather names not normally associated with education: Shell, Manchester Airport, British Aerospace, Tesco, ICI, Cadbury Schwepps, Kellogg's and McDonalds. These companies gain massive public relations benefits and can guide educational policies to better meet their employment needs.

'Collector' schemes have become common place in the UK. Books, sports equipment and computers have all been on offer to the schools whose pupils eat enough crisps or shop at the right supermarkets.

Along with the Consumer's Assocation, the Government have drawn up a 'Code of Practice' on sponsorship in schools. This suggests that direct promotion of the sponsor's products to students should be avoided but notes that this "may be unavoidable in the context of collector schemes".

Many companies are providing curriculum material to schools. One such teacher's resource entitled "Biotechnology and you" was distributed widely in Scotland. The booklet claims that it aims to help children to navigate the moral and scientific complexities surrounding genetically engineered crops. Teachers were not warned, however, that the "Biotechnology Institute" which published it is funded by Monstanto, Novartis, Pfizer and Phone-Poulenc.

The privatization of the education system is moving forward in many countries around the globe and commercial sponsorship is being sort to assist those schools which remain in the hands of the state. It is clear that many large companies have been quick to exploit this opportunity to get a message across to young people who they hope will become the faithful consumers of the future.

Essential reading

• George Monbiot, The Captive State Ch.11, Pan Books, 2001
• Naomi Klein, No Logo Ch. 4, Flamingo, 2000

• The Corporate Takeover of Childhood:
  Schools are being privatised in order to develop a new export industry
  by George Monbiot