Opposing Commercialism in Schools

Advertising in schools is qualitatively different from an ad on a bus shelter, television screen or newspaper page. Education is a vital resource for school children and is properly influenced by the ethos of the school, the National Curricula, current educational theory as well as local influences. Inserting a prescribed commercial message into classrooms is to contaminate the learning process and place the brand rather than the student at the heart of the lesson. Consider some of the many differences between an educational and advertising approach to schools.

Educational Agenda	Commercial Agenda
Learning is student centred.	Learning is product/brand focussed.
Student as citizen.	Student as consumer.
Democratic and egalitarian in outlook.	Discriminates according to purchasing power.
Learning as a questioning, critical process.	Closed, pre-determined learning outcomes – just swallow the message.
Active, discovery-learning.	Passive, receptive experience.
Coherent, thematically-based spiral curriculum.	Fragmented, isolated lessons depending on the sponsor
Led by educational research and local tradition.	Led by commercial interest, subject to highest bidder. (eg. Tesco, SuperValu)