Public v Private Schooling

Schools are the foundation of everything. Your primary schooling helps mould the person you'll become, and thus finding the correct institution is of the utmost importance. In most countries, students have a choice broadly between public and private schools, with each having its own benefits and drawbacks.

A public school refers to schools run by the government on the taxpayer's money and allows students to attend for free. Depending on the country, the quality of education and overhead costs differ, as well as infrastructure and staff.

Private schools refer to those schools that are set up by private organisations that often charge a heavy fee in exchange for better resources, infrastructure, curriculum and staff.

Let's look at the differences between these two broad categories of schools in a few countries across the world.

Taiwan

In 1949 after the Nationalist government moved to Taiwan, private schools were modified through several stages by the government rather than the public schools. Since the government began to deregulate higher education and encouraged the establishment of private schools in 1985, the number of Taiwan’s private institutions has increased drastically, accounting for 67% of the system and 33% of public schools. As parents in Taiwan value children’s education in the first place, the choice between private schools and public schools can be a challenging game.

Taipei Teens Turbine investigates that higher scores in college entrance exams ( General Scholastic Ability Test) are the primary reason why parents in Taiwan prefer private schools over public schools. The guarantee from private, fee-paying institutions provides exclusive per-pay services for students including complete extracurricular counselling, better digital devices and facilities, and certified faculty members with higher pay. In 2021, 11 students from Taipei Wego Private High School got perfect grades on GSAT, while only eight students from Taipei First Girls High School, the best female public high school in Taiwan, got perfect scores. Another reason shows that higher student quality and

smaller ability gap between student skills are what draw parents to get their children’s education in private schools. Before getting into a traditional private high school, students must take an entrance test that is held by the school instead of by the government. Students tend to go to better colleges in private schools when their parents are relatively in a higher social position and with a more stable income.

The other side of the coin is that private schools have failed to follow instructions from the

government officials. School authorities have excessive control over raising school fees, along with incomplete tax waivers and insufficient reinvestment in private schools. As the public school’s tuition and fees are supervised by the government, it is relatively harder for public schools to manipulate school fees. Private schools also impose all kinds of excessive and unreasonable demands on lecturers, such as hours to be spent on campus, and attendance which most public schools do not have the permission to do so. According to The Ministry of Education, government officials have announced that more than 40 private senior-high schools, universities and colleges are already in a critical situation.

USA

Public schools are funded through taxes citizens of the United States pay. Private schools are completely independent of the government and get their money from tuition. Depending on the school, tuition for private schools can be anywhere from $6000-$30,000.

The range of demographics differs greatly in both forms of education. Public schools are usually for neighbourhood kids in which students attend from local areas and usually get a bus for transportation. Private schools on the other hand serve families from a wider radius and usually have parents drop their children off for further distances. When people choose private schools, they have a specific focus point they want their children to attend school for. For example, they could base it on religion and would send their kids to a church school in which a big part of the curriculum is learning about religious practices.

The admissions process is also very different for both types of schools. In private schools, there is a whole application process which can include tours, interviews, a physical application, and even academic assessment. Public schools accept anyone regardless of race, gender, financial background, and other profiles.

Private schools have the freedom to adopt curriculums and standards beyond the limitations of public schools. Since they don’t use funds from the government, they can expand their programs without regulations. In public schools, however, there is a standard curriculum set for all students. They must follow policies established by the district. Although their curriculums may vary, both types of schools measure learning through standardized testing.

Many questions arise asking whether or not private school teachers are more qualified than public school ones. While this may be true, both of them require set teacher qualifications in degrees, experience, and certification. However, private schools may prioritize advanced degrees depending on the subject and its importance to the school’s curriculum.

While private schools may seem more prestigious than public schools, it really does not matter where you choose to receive your education. It is solely based on what’s right for the family and how far you want to pursue your education. Colleges and universities don’t base their decisions off of where you went, so what really matters is your choice!

Sweden

The quality of education in Sweden in public schools is exceptionally good. The medium of

instruction is largely in Swedish. Most schools in Sweden do not charge fees for schooling, and other facilities which include computers, textbooks, stationery, calculator and lunch are all “included” in the taxes that are paid by the people of the country.

There are also public schools which prioritize English as their main language, but the seats are limited and the competition is high. There are lots of advantages to going to a public school since all the facilities are provided free of charge by the school. The quality of education provided by the public school is good and the concepts are easily explained. There are lots of experiential learnings for students provided by the schools. Compared to public schools, the only main advantage of private schools in Sweden is that if a student is subjected to relocation around the world, then it helps that they go to a school where the curriculum is in English. The fees for Swedish private schools are around 10,000-20,000 USD per year. The campuses of private schools can be bigger and the teaching can be more internationally inclined.

Students can also choose to go to a public school with a Swedish speaking median and learn Swedish easily with the help of general conversations with classmates and extra lessons. Sweden prefers to have more public/free schools so that education is accessible to everyone.

India

Public schools were brought to India with the modern school system which included the English Language by Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay in the 1830s. There are a total of 15,07,708. The first Private school was established in 1793 in Karela by the Jesuits with one of the oldest education institutes in India. There are 4,00,000 unaided private schools in India. Public institutions are opted for more often than private schools by the minority class of the population as they cannot afford private institutions. Teachers in public institutions are not selected on the basis of experience or expertise as they just need teachers. However, private institution teachers are selected based on their experience, skill and expertise.

It is not that public school teachers do not teach or are not doing their duties, they are but is it enough to make their students remember their educational concepts for life? I am not sure as the students do not understand in class and cannot afford tuition, they byheart their lessons and concepts. Although they are coming up now and reaching new heights, they are still left back in the matter of better opportunities, and better teaching conditions and in today's world where everyone only thinks about money no one knows whether the public institutes are going all out with their ways and opportunities or no. this leaves them behind the students from private institutions. At times minority students are not given enough opportunities due to their way of living. This must change not just by a change of institutions but also the mindsets of people and by giving more opportunities to people.

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Authors

• Siya Heda

• Nicole (Wei-Tung), Ling: Taiwan

• Shivika Varshney: USA

• Adithi Natarajan: Sweden

• Ananya Ajith Kumar: India