Private schools

From ArticleWorld

A Private school is a term for schools that are controlled by an individual or an agency other than a governmental entity. Such schools are generally supported primarily by other than public funds, and the operation of their program rests with someone other than publicly elected or appointed officials.

Level of coverage

In the Commonwealth countries including the United Kingdom, private schools are used to describe schools that impart education till the elementary and secondary school levels. It almost never includes education imparted in colleges and universities.

In different states

Private schools in America cover a very large area of educational levels. Private education may begin at kindergarten level and either end at primary level or go up to secondary level or what in the US is known as K-12 system of education or education from kindergarten to grade 12. Some private education institutes might even offer post graduate schooling or grade 13. The tuition fees may range from nothing to more than$40, 000 annually in some boarding schools.

Private schools in England and Wales are also called independent schools because they function relatively independently of the government rules and regulations. These schools are preferred by most English parents because of their better performance as compared to schools run by the government. Primary schools in U.K. are called preparatory schools because such schools prepare their students for the better secondary schools.

Education imparted in most government funded schools in India is generally below standard and the students who study there belong to the lower or the lower middle classes. The privately funded schools are generally run by Christian missionaries or private trusts; in these schools the standard as well as the quality of education is much higher in comparison. Interestingly, even though these are all private schools, in India they are called public schools. Most parents wish to enroll their children in such schools, where the medium of instruction is English but the local language apart from Hindi is also taught as a subject.

The schools in Australia are either government or private schools and parents here too prefer to send their charges to private schools for reasons of prestige, better education and better facilities. Typically private schools in Australia are heavily funded by the government.