Advantages of Private Schools Over Public/Government Schools

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The Pros, Benefits, and Advantages of Private Schools

Due to various argument and debates over which is better between private schools and public/government schools, Parents find it hard to decide on which school to enroll their children. They find themselves in a dilemma of choosing the best school for their children; they do not know which is better and the one that will make aid the academic performance of their wards. There are certain factors to consider when deciding which is better, such as the class sizes in the schools, academic quality, the availability of experienced teachers, discipline, and extra-curricular activities. These factors are put into consideration when choosing schools for your wards. Due to the poor education standard in Nigeria, some parents prefer the private schools to public schools. On the other hand, some parents, because of financial incapability, do not have any choice but to enroll their children in public or government schools.

 

1. High Level of Discipline

Private schools in Nigeria have a high standard of discipline. Students with discipline problems are fewer in private schools than in public schools. This is because private schools have a way of scrutinizing students before admitting them. They have rules of conduct that must be strictly adhered to by all the students and if anyone defaults, he will be dealt with appropriately. Thus, make students in private schools more disciplined than their counterparts in public schools. This benefit and advantage of private schools go a long way in shaping the children to be better individuals.

Public school, on the other hand, accepts almost every student that comes to the school. They have problems in curtailing and dealing with undisciplined students and do not have a great authority to discontinue their enrollment unlike in private schools whereby students who do not abide by the rules and codes of conduct are being expelled.

 

2. Academic Performance

Perhaps the major priority or concern of parents in the dilemma whether to send their children to private or public school is the level of academics performance, where they can have access to sound teaching and quality education that will lead to academic success.  Experienced and dedicated teachers are found in private schools. They teach the students well and give them the best, which makes them perform better than those in public schools. This does not mean that teachers in public schools are not experienced, but rather are not dedicated, are lazy and do not teach the students. This makes the students have low academic performance. Academic Performance is a major advantage and pro of private schools to public or government schools. (Read on how to attain academic excellence here)

 

3. Academic Environment and Scope of Teaching

The academic environment is also a factor that influences learning. The academic environment differs in schools. Public schools are generally supervised, monitored and controlled by the local and state governments while private schools are being managed by individual proprietors or proprietresses but are supervised by the state government. The academic curricula of public schools are being prescribed by the governments thereby imposing streamlined syllabus, approved tests and exams not minding whether the students are well taught or not. This does not give the teachers the autonomy to teach outside the scope laid down by the government.

Private schools, on the other hand, have qualitative academic curricula that are being given by the teachers, not subjected to mandatory tests or scope of teaching. They have flexible ways of teaching students and they are not stereotypic in their teachings, Teachers in private schools teach the students how to think critically and how to apply it in the nearest future. Syllabuses are being reviewed after each session to make sure it is still trending with the latest development in the society. Students meet with other students of a high educational standard which gives room for competition and boost the level of seriousness.  Parents are hereby advised to find out about the curricula of the school they want to enroll their children in, whether the syllabus meets up with the required standard or out of standards. (Read about falling standard of education here)

 

4. Engagement In Extra-Curricular Activities

One of the factors that contribute to academic excellence is engaging in social activities like sport, athletics, and clubs. The popular saying: ‘all work and no play make Jack a dull boy‘ explains the importance of extra-curricular activities. When a student is subjected to learning for a long period of time daily without a break to exercise his muscles, his rate of assimilation will be reduced, which will not enable him to perform well. But in a situation whereby sports facilities are made available for the use of the students, they tend to perform better in their academics and relate well with their colleagues. Clubs and other social activities help the students to discover and develop their skills and talents.

An important factor is the availability of these facilities. These facilities are available in both public and private schools. Some schools have sports facilities, such as the swimming pool, cricket court, football pitch etc. but do not make use of it. This is common in public school, where the available infrastructures facilities are not taken care of nor maintained. On the other hand, private schools still offer the best of the social and sports facilities. Inter-house sports are being organized whereby students are randomly distributed into different houses to compete with one another. This serves as a way of promoting unity among the students, keep the body fit, improve and develop their skills or talents. All these are an essential prerequisite to academic excellence.

 

5. The Number of Students In Classrooms

The sizes of classes in public and private schools are completely different. In public schools, there are larger classes where the teachers sometimes do not know the all the students in the class. This is not so in private schools where a small and limited number of students are in a class. This allows a good teacher-student relationship and gives room for proper ventilation. Teachers in private schools know both the strengths and weaknesses of their students compared to teachers in public schools. This is also a major advantage and benefit of private schools over public schools. (read more about building a teacher-student relationship)

 

6. The absence of Strike Actions

Strike action is one of the ways used by trade unions use in protesting and contesting for their rights when workers are being deprived of their rights. Strike actions are common in public secondary schools where workers fight for increase or non-payment of salaries which disrupts the smooth running of academics. Strike and disruptions of studies are rare and absent in private schools.  The academic section remains the same and there is no elongation in the academic calendar except for public and federal holidays.

In conclusion, with the above numerous points, the debate and argument on which is better between private schools and public schools are won by private schools.

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