The debate on charter schools has been alive for years due to complaints from families and associations that question the lack of transparency in their payments and the alleged unequal treatment in access, even though they are private centers that receive public funding. Now, the comedian Ana Brito, known as Briten and co-host of the podcast ‘Poco se speaking’ with
In the video, which Ana introduces with the phrase “the sauce of the concerted cabbages,” the comedian adopts a sarcastic tone to list the additional costs that families face in this type of centers. “Little is said about the fact that they charge you a million for everything and it can be in cash, but then they have public subsidies. And what do they spend it on?” he asks, before ironically about the price of the school cafeteria, where “apparently they serve caviar” or the uniforms that, according to the complaint, “can only be bought at school” and change “from time to time” to force them to be renewed.
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Fees and mandatory “optional” activities
Ana also dedicates a fragment to so-called “optional” activities that she defines as “mandatory”, and the associations of mothers and fathers (AMPA) as another example of payments that, according to the complaint, are presented as voluntary, but end up being mandatory. “You pay to belong to the AMPA, which you can’t even join, nor do you know who forms it,” he says.
The comedian also alludes to the “voluntary” fees or “donations” that some schools demand from families, which she says have a “dubious legality,” and ironically: “these can, if they can, domiciliate it to you, although you dare to say that you don’t pay it, they point you out.” for the rest of your life (for the rest of your life).” In the same parody tone, he suggests that refusing to pay those payments can have academic consequences: “What a coincidence that as soon as you stopped paying, your son started to fail,” he adds.
Criticism of the school admission system
The video continues with a criticism of the points system that regulates the admission of students, comparing it with ‘The squid game’: “Point for being a former student of whom you have to be a member of the alumni association, point for being a large family. There are two of you? You fake an eco and that’s it,” he jokes, in a reference to the supposed strategic use of access criteria.
The comedian also ironizes about other factors that determine admission: the point for a single-parent family, which she exemplifies with “do we have to get divorced? One gets divorced”, the point for proximity, for which she alludes to the resource of fictitiously registering “at the house of the friend with whom you have not spoken in fifteen years”; or the point for income, which is mocked for the unrealistic nature of the required thresholds: “the income for which they give you a point is ridiculous. If you had that income, you would not be able to pay the extra 550.” In addition, it mentions the so-called “pre” or associated daycare, where “you leave a kidney and a half” to accumulate points for admission to the center.
At the end of the video, Brito introduces an ironic tagline: “That said, this reel is fiction and any resemblance to real events is purely coincidental. Or not.” Despite the humorous tone, the publication has been interpreted by many users as a denunciation of the hybrid financing model of subsidized centers, which receive public funds, but maintain economic practices typical of private centers.
A heated debate on networks
The publication on TikTok has generated an intense debate among users, divided between those who support Ana’s criticism and those who defend the concerted model. Many comments applaud his satire and denounce the high costs associated with these centers: “less than 800 euros is not worth it” or “all money, daughter,” some write, while others claim public education as a more equitable alternative. There are also those who ironically about the “luxury extracurricular activities” or the exclusive uniforms that, according to several users, make the educational experience more expensive.
Other messages, however, qualify the comedian’s vision. Some families claim that in their charter schools the fees are reinvested “in maintaining the classrooms and improving the facilities,” while members of parent associations remember that the AMPA “organizes non-profit activities and celebrations.” There is also no shortage of voices that point to the costs of public education, mentioning dining room expenses, cooperatives or excursions.