Zeit...
I've heard that argument before. I've also heard that there are actual cases of areas where it has been refuted in practice' the private schools accepted "the worst" of the children, and still got better results than the government schools. Sorry, I can't quote chapter and verse; perhaps someone else can.
Isn't it time to seek a solution rather than decry the problem? It seems to me that much of the downturn has come after the teachers decided to form a union, a union that obviously has, as its highest priority, the employment of its members.
Why is it that competition is feared? We all benefit from competition in many areas. What is so different about the education industry?