Public schools are schools funded by either the federal government or the state government while private schools are schools funded by an individual or a group of people.
The lack of commitment to education shown by the amount being allocated for education has been the major reason for the collapse of public schools in Nigeria. And also the poor handling of public schools by the government and teachers is what makes public schools in such a sorry state. Although private schools have their shortcomings I still prefer private to public schools.
Listed below are the points to support my preference
(i) In private schools, the matriculation rate to college is high. Minority students who attend a private high school are more likely to attend college than minority students who attend public schools
(ii) They are safer than public schools because of the high rate of violence in public schools
(iii) Private school students are more competitive than public school students. This fact is ascertained by the record of students that feature in Cowbellpedia and other competitions in Nigeria. And the probability that a student from a private school will win a competition is higher than that of a public school. The reason is simply the quality of education received in private schools.
(iv) Statistics have shown that the best schools in WAEC are mostly private high schools i.e. students from private high schools do outshine students from the public high school
(v) Students in private schools have high self-esteem and self-confidence
(vi) Private schools provide a conducive environment for learning for their students
(vii) They give you value for your money
(viii) The level of exposure of students in a private school is high when compared to a public school
What characterized Public schools in Nigeria
- Public schools in Nigeria are cheap and that makes them affordable
- They have certified teachers
- They are poorly funded by the government
- The standard of education in public schools has fallen
- They are characterized by incessant strikes by staff
- Nonchalant attitude towards work by teachers
What characterized Private Schools in Nigeria
- They are self-funded and self-sustaining
- The standard and quality of education in private schools is high
- Nothing like strike
- They expose their students to different kinds of opportunities that can better their lives.
- Some of them are after money to gain and not the knowledge to impact
- They are not keen on whether their teachers are certified or not
- Most private schools exploit their teachers. This is so in Nigeria due to the high rate of unemployment
- They are likely prone to administrative problems if not well-organized
- The cost of running Private schools is high so this makes the tuition to be high. For this reason, some parents see the schools as unaffordable.
- Some private schools are not fully accredited by the government
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