Public Vs Private Education

Australia has a good educational system. Boys and girls go to public schools when they are young. Still some parents choose to send their children to private schools. Those parents pay a lot of money to make sure their children get the best education. In Melbourne we have some very good and expensive private schools like Melbourne Grammar, Wesley College, Melbourne High School, Scotch College, Caulfield Grammar, Xavier College and many more.

Some of these schools cost more than 20,000 dollars a year per student. Of course the students in these schools have a small number of students in class and get more attention from their teachers. They also get more services like different lessons in tennis , swimming and basketball and they have the chance to travel overseas.

Some parents who work overseas and can't take their children there send them to boarding schools. These schools provide very good education and students can eat and sleep there. A student can be a "full boarder"in the school. This means that he or she studies, eats and sleeps at school 7 days a week. Another student may be a "semi-boarder". This means that the student can go home on weekends. Another student can be a "day student". Those are the same as students in normal schools. They come to school in the morning, finish classes and then go home. They do not sleep at school. Examples of these schools are the MLC, PLC, and Tintern Schools.

Of course not everyone can afford to send their children to a private school with a big name. That is why some people send their children to a catholic school. They pay less money than in a private school and more than a public school.

Private schools have large rooms, ovals, labs and computer rooms. Of course these things cost a lot. But who pays for all this? The answer is simple. It is people like you who choose to send their children there. It is a big business now. You always here words that you only hear in a shop like “a special offer”, “a discount” and “pay extra” when you talk to them about enrolling your child their. They will tell you that it normally costs something like 19,000 dollars per year but they will offer you “a discount” or give you “a special offer”. These schools are run like a business or a shop.

Some students study at private schools for free. They do not pay any money. These students are very smart. They pass special tests first. These tests are called the scholarship tests. These test are not easy for ordinary students. Other students who study for free are very good at sport or singing and music. Private schools offer them a chance to study for free.

Many of the students who attend universities here are not Australians. They come from different countries. They mainly come from Asian countries like Chine, Japan, Vietnam and Korea. They come to study commerce, management, medicine and information technology. They also enjoy the city life in general. They like our shopping spots, beautiful parks and gardens and the fantastic nightlife. Those students may pay up to 70,000 dollars per year to study in Australia.

It is amazing to know that people who studied at expensive schools get the same jobs as anyone else including those who went to public schools. What do you think?