It’s a rare and glorious day for British democracy when an MP comes out, not just in direction opposition to the position taken by his party, but proposes the exact opposite action altogether.  As Gordon Brown has announced the extension of compulsory education to 18, starting in 2013, that’s the exact position that Frank Field finds himself in.

Field, Labour MP for Birkenhead and former Minister of State in the Department of Social Security, has urged the government to reduce the age of the end of compulsory education to 14.  If the pupil’s parents wanted them to continue, he or she could.  But, for a pupil to qualify for this early leaving age, he or she would have to pass the equivalent of the standard Key Stage 3 tests in Maths, English, and Science: showing a basic literary, numeracy, and proficiency in each of these subjects.

In conjunction with this, the government could concentrate their pre-14 education on getting these basics right, making sure that everyone is literate and numerate at the age of 14, and making sure that nobody falls through the cracks.  This would allow people to leave education with the foundations upon which to build a career, whilst also giving them two extra years to see if their vocation is for them.

At the same time, the government could save the £11.8bn that he estimates is wasted educating people that don’t reach those basic levels.  That money could be used to fund school vouchers, scholarships for those early school-leavers to return to education later, or returned to the taxpayer from whom it came.

This is an encouraging move towards liberalising what is a very draconian and inefficient one-size-fits-all education system, and moving towards personal choice as the arbiter of a person’s education.

By this system, basic education is improved, making sure that everyone gets a level of literacy required to understand one’s legal and moral rights and participate in society.  Those people not suited to academic education get to work for two years, build up vocational experience, and contribute to, rather than take out of, the taxpayers’ pocket.

That Frank Field is the great promoter of the policy is unsurprising, given his track record.  He has displayed an unwavering belief, derived from his staunch Christianity, in the power of self-improvement and opportunity.  Because of this, and despite representing a very working class constituency, he has actively campaigned in favour of ending the welfare state.

If we want to allow people opportunities, our government has to realise that people can make the vast majority of decisions - even pertaining to the holy cows of education or health - for themselves, and for their families.  Only they can know what’s best for them.  What we all know, though, is that this system benefits nooone: letting down the underachieving children, letting down those that are saddled teaching or learning alongside them, and letting down the taxpayer.

To adopt Brown’s way of thinking, and extending this failure of a system to all those aged under 18, is madness.  To adopt Field’s way of thinking, and removing people from that trap, is common sense.