Private vs public: Looking at the great schooling dilemma
It was a very stressful time. As it is for nearly all parents.
Do we send our children to the state school down the road, or do we make a financial sacrifice and send them to a private school?
My public school experience wasn’t the best. I recall the teachers would beat me out the gate home when the bell went at 3pm.
Of course, education standards have changed a lot since the 1970s.
Today, most state-run schools are up there on academic results with the best private schools on offer.
And they don’t cost up to $45,000 a year.
But private schools boast they give a child a lot more than an academic experience.
They say they give a young student a more rounded life experience with pastoral care you don’t find in the public system.
And private schools claim parent co-funding means they can supply better equipment and facilities.
But where once a gifted child was always sent to a private school, today public schools now cater for high achievers with "selective" schools on offer in all states but Queensland.
And let’s face it – it's the same curriculum in private schools as it is in public, and because it's just down the road, it's convenient.
With the money saved on schooling many public school parents say they can spend that on tutors and extra activities for the child.
One tip from a school principal: parents should go into all their surrounding schools and look at the culture and see if that matches the values your family upholds.
And that could be public or private.
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