Parents are required to make many important decisions for
the welfare of their children throughout their lives. One decision that can have a large effect on
the child as an individual is the choice between private and public education.
Though both options are equally viable in terms of meeting government education
standards and allowing students to achieve qualifications such as the HSC to
allow them to go onto further study, there is a lot of speculation as to the
differences between these forms of education – if the additional funds provided
by parents to private schools and higher expectations of teachers provide a
distinct advantage to their students, or whether there is not so much of a
difference between the two.
A recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald entitled ‘PrivateSchools and the Art of Ripping Off Parents’ takes a look at the current trend
of the move away from public schools to private, quoting the ABS statistic ‘In
1982, 76 per cent of Australian students attended government schools. In 2012,
only 65 per cent did.’
The article notes that although Australians do not like to
see themselves as elitist or pretentious as far as class goes, that we as a
society are becoming more and more segregated in terms of education. This is a
move away from the general world trends that see private schools as far more
elite and rare. It is speculated that this change is to do with parents
becoming anxious to provide their children with the best education, and the pressure
on parents not to fail their children in this way. It is also suggested that
the marketing of private schools focuses on the message that parents are ‘purchasing
“qualities” private schools will foster better - such as discipline,
self-confidence, communication, and ''pushing'' mediocre students on to better
standards - and that their children will have ''nice'' peer groups where the
''riff-raff'' has been weeded out (ranging from anti-social behaviour to what
others might call ''diversity'').’
From personal experiences in a private school, this does
seem consistent with the type of advertising that private schools produce. Religious schools are not alone in pushing
the ‘values’ they promise to their students, although it is clear from being
part of a private school, that there are many graduates who possess no more
discipline or grace than when they started. It is common to see posters and advertisements
featuring clean, smiling mixed groups of students – a sight that would never
have been seen in the school itself.
Manafo (2006), notes that the strategies used by private
schools viewing public as competition are often under the basis of ‘distancing’
– putting as much distance as possible between the types of schooling featured,
including aspects such as curriculum, academic excellence, athletics,
prestige, etc. This strategy is part of
the reason public schools are so often identified with poor values, poor
standards and ‘society’s ills’. Manafo pushes the view that public schools are
used as a scapegoat which has a huge impact on their public view and can lead
to the pressure for parents to choose private schools or put their children's future
and wellbeing at risk.
From attending a private high school myself, I am more
comfortable with the private school setting if I were to have children in
future, however I’m aware that public schooling can be the right place for many
people and wouldn't like to make a judgement based on biased media and
misconceptions. For parents, this is a topic in which we could all use more
education.
Young, S. (2013) Private schools and the art of ripping off
parents The Sydney Morning Herald, September 4, 2013 [accessed
online at http://www.smh.com.au/comment/private-schools-and-the-art-of-ripping-off-parents-20130903-2t357.html]
Manafo, M. J. (2006). Enhancing the value of
public education: Lessons from the private sector. Phi Delta Kappan, 87(9),
648-653.
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