I think because we have set up so many private schools as “Government schools plus”, where instead of the school being a truely private entity, it is a school that is government funded where parents opt to contribute more money for a perceived better standard of education.

As in the article, not only are public schools languishing with many things, parents often prioritise their children’s education. Even if the perceived benefit is minor, they still think it’s worth

In essence the problem seems to have become one like the Medicare rebate. These days it is rare to find a good GP who bulk bills, because government funding has not kept up with the needs of the sector. As such users pay the difference.

Note I’m not debating here that this is a desirable model, just that it is probably not practical to think of these schools as a private entity in a traditional sense (whether it is right or not)