I can't make this stuff up!
The public school was actually a Greek idea - so was forced sodomy on all young boys to toughen them up (not for the pleasure of a bunch of perverts /sarc> ). The Germans believe the publicly funded and state controlled schools are necessary to maintain social homogeneity ie control the citizens - hence their vehement outlawing of home schooling.
A little known fact - Thomas Jefferson was superintendent of the DC public schools and required that every class be taught from the Bible and Watts hymnal.