Why is it imperative that private enterprise take over education?
I'm not advocating that private enterprise "take over" education. For some of us, as ygbtk noted, it's not an either-or question.
The question is: Who is hurt by the private initiative that ACG is proposing?
I think it's funny how this proposed school was characterized in the initial post: "A group of well-known academics are setting up a private college in London which will charge students £18,000 a year in tuition fees." The academics "will charge" students £18,000 per year, as though students will be forced to go to ACG's institution and to pay £18,000 per year to do it. A more accurate way to characterize this endeavor: "A group of well-known academics are setting up a private college in London and they hope that some students will be willing to pay £18,000 a year in tuition fees."
My prediction? This project will fail because there will not be enough people willing to pay about $110,000 in tuition to get a humanities degree. If it is successful, then ACG and his colleagues will probably be doing something very interesting and it will be worth asking: What are they offering that people are willing to voluntarily spend $110,000 to get?
So, again, why is it imperative that the state have monopoly control over education?