Private Education - Advantages and Disadvantages

In recent years, there has been a major shift of parents towards Private Education for their children, globally.

We see this in actual figures concerning education. The percentage of children enrolled in a private primary schools increased from 10% to 17% in the last fifteen years. In middle and high school, the percentage increased from 9% to 27%, and if we observe certain countries like China for example, we notice that parents spend huge amounts to send their children to expensive private schools, for no other purpose than a better and more reliable education.

But why has the demand for private education skyrocketed?

This resurgence has occurred for various reasons, one of which is the increase of income globally, combined of course with a decline in birth rates.

Today, many more parents in families around the world are able to spend a lot more money for each child. If we take a look at China’s one-child per family policy, we come to realize that each child of said families has 6 people available to provide support, 4 grandparents and 2 parents, all willing to spend as much money as they possibly can, according to their financial means, for the child’s education.

Furthermore, the world’s economy is changing and as a result the number of jobs for the unskilled is dramatically reduced. Nowadays, all decent jobs require at least some basic skills, skills that can be acquired through a proper, structured and modern education.

In countries where populations are constantly moving and the population of large urban centers is increasing at a breakneck pace, governments cannot cope with education. For example, in countries like Pakistan, in cities as Punjab, the government cooperates with the private sector in order to be able to offer an active school life to children.   And they do this for more than 2 million children.

Private schools have the capability and the obligation to be really good because parents pay a very high price most of the times, for the quality and the high level of education.

However, there is a social dilemma we should take into consideration. We must think about social equality and the mixing of social classes, subjects that private education discourages rather than encourages. The problem with private schools is that they tend to increase inequality since it is rather obvious that the children of wealthy families go to better schools than the rest.

On the other hand, it can offer relief in education and it is the duty of governments to treat private education as an ally and not as an enemy to the benefit of our societies.

How?

With young people, educated, skilled, full of stimuli, knowledge and ideas ready to face the challenges.