subject: Learn How Do Private Schools Differ From Public Schools [print this page] Many parents sometimes get confused about the school to enroll their child in when he reaches school going age. One can either choose a public school or a private school. Before deciding, it would be important to know how do private schools differ from public schools.
Most public and private schools mainly offer day or boarding facilities. There are some schools that are for boys only and others for girls only. Many of the schools are mixed schools. Both schools offer primary school education and secondary school education.
A public school is normally owned and also run by the government. It means that the government sets the curriculum and the school has to strictly follow it. Although this is quite in order, sometimes it may be rather limiting. The school management is not free to alter the curriculum to cater for the needs of every student.
Since such schools are funded by the government, they accept all students who seek enrollment. This may sometimes lead to overcrowding in classes. As a result teachers may not manage to give students individual attention. This may sometimes compromise the standards of education.
Since the schools have large numbers of students, their facilities could be overstretched. Some of the schools may receive insufficient funds. This could affect learning and extra curricular activities also. Students with special talents might therefore be denied the opportunity to exploit their potential fully.
Private schools are owned by individuals. They therefore generate their own funding. They can raise funds from tuition fees, alumni society or even solicit for funds from corporations among other sources. They are therefore able to plan their activities according to the funds they have. This enables them to maintain high standards.
Since they are privately owned, their curriculum is designed to suit the requirements of the students. Their curriculum may therefore be more advanced and highly specialized. Some of these schools design a program for every individual student. They aspire to produce a student who is all-round. That is why various extra curricular activities are offered to enable every student to discover his talents.
These schools select freely the number of children they want to admit. Majority of them therefore have classes that are small to balance the ratio of student/teacher. The performance of pupils is thus enhanced since the teachers are able to give them personalized attention.
After school tutoring is also provided by some of the schools. Others may offer summer school, evening school and weekend school. All this is done to improve the performance of students. They usually employ teachers who have an advanced degree in the subject they specialize in. Students in such schools therefore excel in their studies.
Students are offered continuous career guidance. They are also prepared to succeed in university or college. Life skills for instance problem solving skills, time management skills and interpersonal skills are also taught among many other skills. Children are therefore prepared for life.
These are some answers of how do private schools differ from public schools. The differences vary from school to school. This information may help you to choose an appropriate school.
