On the morning of 6 January 2010, two days after I had delivered a beautiful baby girl, I got a call from a good friend advising me to get my two-day old daughter registered to good private schools ‘before it was too late’.
Seriously?
As my body was recovering from a 24-hour labour, a 14-day overdue bub, a failed induction, a delayed cesarean and the grogginess of pain-killers, the idea of school registrations couldn’t be furthest from my mind.
Surely she couldn’t be serious.
She was.
‘But I am not even sure if I wanted to send her to a private school yet. Is it worth the fees?’ I asked my friend. ‘Don’t worry about that’ she said, ‘just register her for now and you have another three to four years to make up your mind.’ Little did I realise at the time that that was just the beginning of what was going to be an endless debate in my mind.
Myriad conversations with other mums over the years have led to a smorgasbord of opinions and experiences. I had no idea that the choice of schooling would prove to be such a complicated issue.
For the purpose of this post, let’s first clearly define a public school and a private school as the definition might differ across countries.
Public schools (also referred to as state schools outside of England and Wales*) are funded in whole or in part by the government and are mandated to offer admission to all children in their vicinity without charge.
Private schools (also known as independent schools) charge their students tuition fee and retain the right to select their students. They are not administered by the government.
The Indian diaspora, along with millions of other parents, face this dilemma too and need to make a choice for their kids at some point. A lot of questions come to mind when thinking about the public or the private education—does the type of school you go to really matter in the long run? If yes, does the high cost of a private school provide an academic edge to students over their public counterparts? Will a public school be able to provide good facilities and extracurricular activities for an overall development? If need be, which type of school will be able to support special needs requirements?
Opinions from other mums:
Let’s have a quick look at views from other Indian mums settled abroad and then we can discuss important factors and differences between both types of schools:
Anola, mum of 2, has been based in Canada for 8 years. Her kids go to a public school.
Are your kids losing/gaining anything specific by not going to a private school? The class size in a private school is small and so there is more one on one interaction with the teacher in a private school as compared to a public school.
Top two reasons for going public: 1) Public schools have better facilities and infrastructure here in my area in Canada. 2) It is close by—very less commute time.
Any plans to change schools over the next five years: No, not really. We are very satisfied with the Public School Board here. No reason to switch schools. Private schools give way too much importance to academics. For now at least I want my kids to learn and enjoy their childhood at the same time .
Anamika, mum of 2, has been based in Australia for over 12 years. Her kids go to a private school.
Are your kids losing/gaining anything specific by not going to a public school? Better system and transparency for my children’s progress, constant push and encouragement to individual kids, opportunities for students to participate in various extracurricular programs, more structured approach as supposed to public system.
Top two reasons for going private: Structured approach to academic improvement of a child and access to a variety of extra-curricular programs.
Any plans to change schools over the next five years? No
Anupriya, mum of 1, has been based in the US for 9 years. Her son goes to a public school.
Is your son losing/gaining anything specific by not going to a private school? No
Top two reasons for going public: 1) Good rating and awards. 2) Proximity
Any plans to change schools over the next five years? No, unless we move to another state where private is better than public.
Snigdha, mum of 1, has been based in the UK for 5 years. Her son goes to a private school.
Is your son losing/gaining anything specific by not going to a public school? I think there are two important things that being in a good private school offers my son: 1) More one-on-one attention as the teacher to student ratio is roughly 1:15. 2) They are very good at helping children internalise good ways to learn. ‘How to learn’ is far more important at an early stage than the learning itself—once they have cracked this, they have good foundations for anything they take up at any point in their lives.
Any plans to change schools over the next five years? I may consider sending him to a good state secondary school, once his foundations are firmly established.
Kirti, mum of 2, has been based in Australia for over 11 years. Her kids go to a private school.
Are your kids losing/gaining anything specific by not going to a public school? From primary school point of view, I don’t think there is much they are gaining being in a private school as opposed to a public school. One advantage I see from private school is that I can be mostly assured that they are in good company—both kids and parents were motivated and focused. Although, that again depends on the kids in the class.
Top two reasons for going private: Closer to home and reasonably affordable fees as compared to other schools in the city.
Any plans to change schools over the next five years? If we do move houses in the future and if there is a good reputed public school in the area, I will not hesitate to send my kids to a public school. But as of now, I do not see me changing them to another school.
Considering the above opinions, it is clear that it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. The right choice for you will depend on your financial resources, educational goals, aspects you prioritise and your child’s personality.
I am no expert at the subject, but while trying to make a decision for my kids, I considered the below important factors, which might be useful for you too if you are struggling to decide between public or private:
Cost of education:
The cost of educating your child at a public/state-funded school is much lower compared to a private/independent school in terms of tuition fees, excursions, books, uniforms, etc. Most parents might base their decision on this one factor alone, especially if the public school in their vicinity is good.
Facilities and extra-curricular activities (ECA):
Public schools and private schools differ in the facilities and the ECAs offered to students. There may be many public schools that have excellent facilities, while others may only be average. The same can be said for private schools. However, in general, private schools may offer better facilities and ECAs to their students—that is not only better library and laboratory facilities, but also sports, drama or music. As public schools bank on the government funding for these facilities and resources, they may be limited in the resources they can offer compared to private schools.
Curriculum and quality of teaching:
The curriculum in public schools generally maintains a quality standard because state/territory guidelines have to be followed in terms of setting and teaching the curriculum. Private schools may set their own curriculum, which may or may not result in a better teaching standard, depending from school to school. Similarly, quality of teaching and good teachers might vary from class to class and school to school. Both types of education system may provide for some excellent teachers and quality of teaching.
Class sizes:
The number of students in each class in a private school is usually much less compared to a public school. As public schools are often governed by state laws, it may not be possible to refuse admission to students who live within the school district. However, no such restriction applies to private schools and they can keep their class size small. The teacher-student ratio in private schools is usually better and students may often receive more personal attention from their teachers.
Support for special needs education:
Mostly, public schools have additional funds allocated by the government for support of special education programs/teacher training to provide ongoing support to kids with special needs. They also have an inclusion policy whereby they are required to make place for special needs children. But private schools do not have to follow government guidelines for admission and reserve the right to admission. They do not receive any additional funding and may not be able to provide ongoing support for special needs.
Your gut feeling and the well-being factor:
This one is personally the most important one for me. It is sometimes a good idea to visit some of your shortlisted public or private schools to get a feel of the place. Most schools have scheduled school tours or you could request one. It gives you an opportunity to check out the school’s facilities, attitudes towards values most important to you, infrastructure and maybe even chat with some teachers. Your initial gut feeling or the vibes you get during such a school visit can really help you crack this tough decision.
Admission process
The admission process in public schools is quite straightforward. Often if you live within the catchment area of a particular public school, it may be mandatory for that school to grant admission to your child as long as you fulfil their basic criteria. However, for admission into private schools, you should have been conscientious enough to have registered your child’s name many years in advance (sometimes even before their birth!).
Legacy of the school
It might be worth looking at the kind of alumni the school has produced. You might be able to find this kind of information through the school’s website, the reception/front office, newsletters, the old student association/body or you could just google.
My personal opinion
For me, personally, more than the type of the institution, it’s most important that it teaches young minds a way of thinking and instils a love of learning—to be able to marvel and wonder—the ability to think for themselves and decide between right and wrong, the ability to comprehend their own ignorance and ask the right questions. Also the friendships, networks and connections, one forms in a good school matter.
I strongly believe that while a good education is surely important, it is the whole package that makes the real difference in the long run – that is, your child’s own talents, abilities and interests; the environment at home; the class teachers; the friendships they develop; parents’ education and parental time input on a regular basis. All these other factors play an equally important role in your child’s overall growth, development and success.
*IN ENGLAND AND WALES, SOME INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS ARE REFERRED TO AS ‘PUBLIC SCHOOLS’ DUE TO HISTORICAL REASONS. FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS POST, WE WILL GO BY ABOVE DEFINITIONS SO WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE.
What do you think?
I’d love to know your thoughts too. Do you send your kids to public school or private school? Why did you choose one over the other? Are you happy with your decision?