Magical education system

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 40597

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "vinnygp" <vincentlawyer at y...> wrote:



<snip weirdly bitter memories of school life, except to say that most 
US public schools now have textbook fees>


> I wonder if the Wizarding World has something similar?  I mean, not 
> everyone can go to a private boarding school.  Maybe the Ministry 
of 
> Magic has a similar set-up.  Of course, it raises the question of 
> whether or not the Ministry even collects taxes.  
> 

You know, something just occured to me. Do we really have any 
evidence that there are British Wizard children NOT in Hogwarts?

I can't think of any passage that refers to a child with magical 
ability being kept out of Hogwarts due to finances. The Weasleys, 
poor as they are, apparently manage to send all their students to 
school, so it is possible there is no tuition, per se. 

The only reference to any tuition is early in PS/SS when Uncle Vernon 
says he's not paying for Harry to go to school and Hagrid says: "His 
name's been down since he was a baby." 

Odd, Hagrid is not denying there is tuition, but it's never brought 
up again.

It is also apparently possible for a UK Wizard to go to another 
school. Lucius Malfoy almost sent Draco to Durmstrang, we're told. 
Perhaps there is an "out-of-district" tuition charge.

We can surmise from CoS that Wizards and Witches are the 
minority. "If we hadn't married Muggles, we'd have died out," Ron 
says at one point.

Hogsmeade is the only all-Wizard village in England, and I don't 
believe it is very big. Even Diagon and Knockturn alleys aren't all 
that big.

I submit it is entirely possible that all, or at least almost all, 11-
18-year-old Wizards and Witches in England, Ireland, Wales and 
Scotland are currently in Hogwarts. If there are those that aren't, I 
would guess they have Muggle parents who refused to allow them to go.

> Whlie we're on the subject, what about elementary education?  There 
> doesn't seem to be much general education going on at Hogwarts, 
i.e. 
> reading and mathematics; it seems to be a big vocational school.  
> They must go somewhere to learn how to read and write and do math?  
> What do wizards do for education in the first ten years of their 
> lives?  Homeschooling perhaps?  Nothing wrong with homeschooling, 
of 
> course; I was homeschooled for the latter part of my education.  Or 
> maybe that's where public schools come in.
> 

Well, kids like Harry and Hermione went to the public schools. Where 
Ron and his siblings went is indeed a curious subject. Reading is 
apparently something universally needed, but I'm not seeing any 
indications that any math past the basics is needed. Certainly higher 
math functions like a U.S. child would learn in high school seem to 
be beside the point when magic makes rules of math and science 
irrelevant.

My guess is that the Weasleys were homeschooled and taught how to 
read and write and do basic math by their folks. Muggle science, 
literature and history would be useless to a wizard, and since all 
first-years have to take History of Magic and Potions, it would seem 
Wizard history and science are not huge parts of the homeschool. 


> And what about higher education or university? Is it normal to go 
> straight from high (secondary) school to your job?  Look at Percy, 
in 
> the Dept. of International Magical Cooperation with no degree in 
law 
> or international relations or anything.  Where do wizards go to 
learn 
> about, say, Magizoolology, to become dragon handlers like Charlie; 
or 
> Education, to go on the board of school governors like Lucius 
Malfoy; 
> where do Aurors or hit wizards go to learn their stuff?  
> Correspondence courses?

It seems like a good old-fashioned apprenticeship program is at work 
here. The relationship between Percy and Crouch strikes me very much 
as a boss and intern. I would guess Charlie the Dragon Handler went 
through something similar.

 
> And why does almost everybody work for the Ministry of Magic?  Is 
> there no private sector?
> 

There's Gringotts, and all the shops and craftsmen on Diagon Alley. 
The professional Quidditch League does not appear to be state-run, 
and there would be all sorts of ancillary jobs that go along with a 
sports league. Someone has to be running and working in a broomstick 
factory, robe garment shop and book printing press. Wandmakers would 
need some source of wood, indicating there is a lumber trade. And of 
course, there is the Daily Prophet. And SOMEONE has to work at Bernie 
Bott's, coming up with new flavors.

We don't exactly know what Lucius Malfoy does for a living -- my 
guess is that he sat around waiting for his father to die, so he 
could inherit it -- but he does not appear to have a state job.

Jobs are there. You just have to know where to look.

Darrin
-- Wants to work at Bernie Botts.