Inconvenient truths of Education spending

With the election still (too many) months away there is already so much excrement flying around one must keep their head down. Yet I cannot help raising some inconvenient facts that seem to be ignored in the political brouhaha.

Lets take just a look at education spending. Leave behind all 'opinions' and look at just those facts that are not disputed by any of the political parties or the commentariat.

The inconvenient facts are just these; - 

Inconvenient fact 1:

Australia has substantially increased its education spending in real terms over the last decade. Yet, in the same period, Educational outcomes have not improved but if anything deteriorated.

Inconvenient fact 2:

Across the world educational spending does not correlate with educational outcomes. (see Figure 1 below and the earlier post Education Spending scores an "F" giving some background.)

Given these inconvenient facts how can anyone justify more spending on education?

The LNP has just committed some $1.2B to the states for education, this comes after their more sensible proposition to limit spending at the 2014 budget. Still this is far less than the ALP's commitment of $4.5B over the forward estimates, amounting to ~ $37B over the next 10 years. 

Even if Australia had zero debt, and had money to burn, it would be a reckless politician who simply threw more money at a problem that has undoubtedly become worse despite more money. Yet our politicians are doing just that. Simply ridiculous! Clearly this is not their own money. Even a politician would not put more of their own money into an enterprise that generated less desirable outcomes by his so doing.

And yet our professional media, the 'last bastion of truth', is sitting mum. They are very busy, massaging, organizing and presenting election policies in the manner most convenient for their preferred political party. Yet they ignore the inconvenient truths. As if we were in the fairy tale and no one is willing to say it, "the emperor is naked"!

Spending more money on education is not the answer.