US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, fulfilling a campaign pledge and a long-cherished goal of some conservatives, writes BBC.

Accusing the agency of “breath-taking failures”, the Republican president vowed to return the money it controls to individual states.

“We’re going to shut it down as quickly as possible”, Trump said, although the White House acknowledged that closing the agency outright would require an act of Congress.

The move is already facing legal challenges from those seeking to block the agency’s closure as well as sweeping cuts to its staff announced last week. Most US children attend public schools, which are free and run by local officials. A common misconception is that the federal education department operates US schools and sets curriculum, but that is primarily done by states and local districts.

A relatively small percentage of funding for primary and secondary schools - about 13% - comes from federal funds. Most of the money comes from state and local taxes.

Established in 1979, the department administers student loans and runs programmes to help low-income students. But Trump has accused it of indoctrinating young people with racial, sexual, and political material. Surrounded by children seated at school desks in the White House, Trump said “the US spends more money on education by far than any other country”, yet he added that students rank near the bottom of the list.