Public or Private school

I went to public school mostly. The main thing to note is that not all public schools are the same. I went to public school in the country for most of my elementary and although we didn't have a lot of resources, we did well on the national examinations and we didn't have a whole lot of behavioral issues. In other words, the teachers could teach and didn't have to spend most of their time dealing with violence and disruptions. When my family moved to an urban area, I went to a private school because my parents were afraid of the issues at the public schools there. They finally decided that it was too expensive, and definitely wasn't much better in terms of science education. They had smaller class sizes, religious courses, and daily chapels. The kids were snobby and I kept mostly to myself. I begged my parents to let me go to public schools, which in that area, were awful. There were fights all the time, the students in my classes thought I was a genius (the teacher even acted like it was funny I was there) and I didn't learn much in terms of education. We found out that my dad's job required him to move to the suburbs of a different city, and my parents had me home school for 3 months to "catch up". I just filled out workbooks and took an online language course. I really didn't learn much. At the suburban public school, the classes were amazing. The students actually behaved (as much as teenagers do). It was under control and there were so many resources. It was better than any private school I have seen, yet the only cost is through taxes. Each situation is different. I feel bad that there is such a huge gap between a lot of urban and suburban schools. Even now, I live in an urban area, and kids complain about people pulling knives on them in class and there was just a report of a girl getting killed right outside of the middle school. How can these kids (and teachers) expect anything education-wise when they are too busy dealing with violence?

If we only see the education factor, the knowledge, private schools are better. They have the money to hire the best teachers, they have a better curriculum. But I would never send my kid to one of those. Because those are void of life, actually. They are usually, well, in my country, too strict and too elegant, and the kids have no chance to make mistakes, and for mistakes, they are going to get expelled or be treated as a criminal... and they meet more lifelike friends and people there.

hi, i am graduated in a public school and i am proud of that,i could say that its more better to study in a public school because they really mold their students,and when you are a student in a public school you will always use your mind and your knowledge and skill rather than to your money.

I am an Education graduate and had tried teaching both in private and public school. Studying in private and public school both have their own advantages and disadvantages. In fact you were right when you mentioned that private schools are more focused on academics however let me just say that it would actually depend on the student himself. If he is willing to learn, then he will learn. I studied in public schools from elementary to college and I would say that my school teachers and professors had thought me a lot. I also had striven to learn during those days because I knew my parents didn't have money to send me to school. I basically had to depend on the allowance I get from the city government.An environment conducive to learning is indeed helpful but more than that, it would still depend on the individual's willingness to learn.

For me, there is no difference having education between the two institutions. The most important, the students have the interest to learn ans gain knowledge. I've been with two schools, there is no difference. Good day!

Yes, you are absolutely right. I just want to share mine. When I was in high school, I enrolled in a public school. It challenged me a lot because the teachers there were very disciplinarian. They did not need a lazy students there. I experienced a lot of projects and assignments. I could say that my teachers in high school were very excellent. I really studied hard even to the point that I did not enjoy my high school days because I was so pressured those years of my studies but I have learned a lot. Then there came my college in private school. My experienced in studying there was not that good. I learned there that to be able to get a higher grade, I must buy a book to their own registrar. My professor was always absent and he just leave hand outs with us. Self learning in short. I was so depressed that time.

As far as my country is concerned people who can afford to pay the fees always prefer to send their children to private schools . Apart from academics these schools teach extra curricular activities to their students & help them to become an all rounder/ develop their respective area of interest. Public schools on the other hand have poor infrastructure & follow the old method of teaching without any deviation . Most of the subjects are taught in vernacular and a result children studying in such schools face lot of difficulties while pursuing higher education which is conducted mostly in 'English'

private schools provide better quality education than public schools,instance in Nigeria,mere looking at their uniforms or the way they dressed,you can easily tell the different between a private school pupil and public school pupil,moreover in a public school the classroom is always over-run by students e.g a class with about 100 pupils with one teacher,how can he (teacher) monitor the whole class and does who are lacking behind or those who are lazy,education is very costly,but when there's no paying of school fees or buying of textbook.the parent takes it for granted.

Hi olivetree27. That's a great topic you have shared. For my own personal experience I think it's a great advantage to study in a private school in terms of quality education and facilities. The instructors are well motivated to provide the best knowledge they can share. Students can focus more on learning as they have a comfortable place to earn new ideas and for their training ground as well. But there's a disadvantage in terms of socializing because we are limited on dealing with the students on the same economic status (high and middle class). For public schools, I have a lot of friends who mostly have a difficulty acquiring good grades as they're always facing financial problems. Most of them were not able to finish schooling because of that. But on other side, they are the ones who excel more when they're already employed and are good on dealing with different types of people. They tend to be one of the highest paid in their chosen career because they already experienced the hardship of life. They can easily adopt on being flexible on whatever challenges they face in and are more resourceful.

I also agree with you there. It doesn't matter where you've gone to a public or private school. Its up to the child whether he would make use of what he learned from the school. Of course some might think that being able to go to a private schools is a great chance that you would have better chances in life or in finding a job. In some aspects, yes its true. But what if you went to a nice well-known private school but didn't do good while your in school? Or after graduation, you just wasted your time with some other things. All I'm saying is that be it public or private school, teachings may or may not be the same, but all that's matter is that how well you use what you learn from your school.

I agree with you, children must experience both public and private school for them to have their own knowledge of what a public and private school is like. Simply telling them or describing what a public or private school is like will only build an unsure image of that school in their mind. I am also a product of this kind of thing, I attended public school when I was still in elementary and attended a private school during my high school. Right now, I'm also attending a private school in my college. Practically speaking, this would be best for those family who just started living on their own. :)

I've been in Catholic school from K-12 and I can honestly say, although I received an excellent education, I felt that I missed out on several opportunities that were available to public school students. I remember reading periodically that celebrities and government programs would provide funds, new computers, textbooks etc. to the local public schools. In my high school, sometimes the same textbooks would be used for 5-10 years due to budget issues. I agree that the public schools appeared to teach their students important lessons that went beyond academics. Growing up, my peers in public schools got to participate in competitions,career fairs, and other extracurricular activities. I don't believe that private schools offer a better education that public (or vice versa). It all depends on the quality of the teachers, the administration, and the learning environment.