a case: universal education.
What if students' ability surpasses the technology development. well, it should be.
Hii, how are you? hope you’re feeling good. Today, let’s talk about universal education.
I was in my training session when this issue came to mind. The elementary school where I teach is experiencing rapid changes in students' abilities. I assist the teacher in first grade. The spectacular development in reading, writing, math, and many other subjects gives me a feeling of, "These students are incredible." During these awesome moments, I wonder what could happen if all the students in the world had the same access to education.
I had the privilege of attending a private elementary school, which contributed significantly to my learning process and to where I am today. I must admit that some of my soft skills, like competitiveness, have been nurtured since childhood. What if these valuable soft skills could be taught to all students from a young age? I’m sure our world could be a better place to live. The idea of universal education seems like a utopian dream for a broken world.
When have we successfully shaped the world exactly according to our ideals? It’s just hard.
We’ve witnessed how excellent curricula shape the society we live in today. These require substantial financial support, which is why only certain people can afford them. The rest have many options, from private to public schools. The debate between private and public schools still deserves attention. Why do private schools tend to have better quality than public schools? The quality here means the facility, the curricula, the teaching method, and many other thing. The only “private school” experience I had was in elementary school. I spent the rest of my school years in public schools. To my surprise, the rumors were somewhat true. Disclaimer: there are many good public schools and many bad private schools, and I’m not trying to generalize. What I share here is purely my experience and view.
How many students are in the private and public schools in Indonesia?
Elementary schools (Sekolah Dasar, SD) are still predominantly public schools. The government controls 88.69% of the total 148,673 elementary schools. Public status also dominates junior high schools (Sekolah Menengah Pertama, SMP), accounting for 59% of the total 39,637 schools. (Source: Katadata)
Conversely, senior high schools (Sekolah Menengah Atas, SMA) and vocational high schools (Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan, SMK) are mostly run by private entities. Private entities dominate 50.23% of senior high schools out of a total of 13,692 schools. Additionally, vocational high schools are also predominantly private, with 74.56% of the total 14,064 schools being privately run.
The global education issues are a toil for the government to fix, and should the private step in to fix the issues hand on hand? I think, the idea that private schools are not for everyone is slightly true. The most hard quote I ever heard about education is that high quality education is not for all but access for education is for all. The atmosphere, the students, the environment, and many other factors play a huge role in shaping students’ character, academics, and soft skills. What do you think?
Here’s the difference between public and private schools based on “GITNUX MARKETDATA REPORT 2024”
Enrollment and Student Population
Approximately 10% of U.S. students attend private schools.
About 2.86 million students were enrolled in private elementary schools in the U.S. in 2019.
Academic Performance
Private school students generally perform higher than their public school counterparts on standardized achievement tests.
85% of high school graduates from private schools attend college, compared to 69% of public high school graduates.
Class Size and Teacher Ratio
Private schools typically have smaller class sizes, with an average of 12.2 students per teacher.
In 2016, the pupil/teacher ratio in public schools was 16.2, while it was 12.2 in private schools.
Curriculum and Advanced Courses
Private secondary schools tend to offer more advanced coursework than public schools in the U.S..
Community Service and Extracurricular Activities
Private schools are twice as likely as public schools to have a community service requirement for graduation.
Safety and Discipline
Safety is better handled in private schools with only 12.2% experiencing violent incidents, compared to 41.4% in public schools.
Tuition and Cost
Average private school tuition in the U.S. for a non-sectarian elementary school is $13,696 per year.
The average private school annual tuition cost in America is $12,350.
Diversity and Accessibility
Public schools tend to have more racially/ethnically diverse student populations than private schools.
Public schools have a much higher proportion of students classified as English language learners (9.6%) compared to private schools (5.2%).
Let’s go back to universal education
Universal education aims to provide high-quality education to all. According to Collins Dictionary, “Universal education refers to the concept of providing equal access to education for all individuals, regardless of their geographical, socioeconomic, or gender backgrounds. It involves ensuring that all students, including those with disabilities, have the opportunity to receive high-quality education and develop the skills and knowledge necessary for their personal and professional growth.”
The opportunity for economic growth is immense.
Can you imagine the kind of innovation if everyone had the same access to good education? A well-educated workforce would contribute to increased economic growth and development. They would be more likely to be employed and contribute to the society's economy. This would be good news for poverty. A healthy workforce will likely decrease the unemployment rate, create more workplaces, and generate more job prospects in their community. Local businesses are vital for the growth of certain cities. The potential benefits include economic growth, social mobility, equality, understanding global issues, and improving global education. This sounds promising, but referring to the definition from Collins Dictionary, can we say that we have made universal education a reality?
To experience Harvard’s education, you can look up their short courses on the internet. Yale offers tons of free lectures on YouTube. Knowledge from experts is not too hard to get. We can browse it, and they also share it freely through newsletters or social media. Education is becoming universal; now, everyone can experience it. What about infrastructure? 66% of people in the world have internet access, books are available in libraries, and smartphone prices have been deflating since 2019.
And, how do you see the world right now? It can be awful and much better. All three statements can be true.
Sometimes, I wonder how fast we could progress if students’ abilities continually surprised their teachers. I wonder how quickly we could address global issues, and how precisely we could cure certain illnesses. However, I forget that we are humans in progress. Sometimes, we think too big and forget to put our own puzzles together before taking on larger challenges. All those promises and heartwarming goals are good fuel for optimism. However, we need warriors who have conquered their inner struggles and are ready to face the world’s challenges.
I know an excellent elementary experience alone is not enough to build a resilient student. The experiences in junior high school and higher education are as valuable as treasures. And we’re not just building resilient students; we’re building resilient humans to improve civilization, reduce human suffering, and achieve more with less. To build resilience, children need a supportive school environment, loving family, friends, a healthy community, and a government that cares about their development.
We’re not just building resilient students; we’re building resilient humans.
Now, I’ll put a question here and let’s have a discussion.
What steps can we take individually and collectively to bridge the gap between private and public education quality?
Source:
Pelchen, L. (2024, March 1). Internet Usage Statistics in 2024. Forbes Home. https://www.forbes.com/home-improvement/internet/internet-statistics/
Leswing, K. (2022, October 17). Why smartphones are getting cheaper while everything else is skyrocketing, according to the government. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/17/why-smartphones-deflated-22percent-while-almost-everything-else-is-more-expensive.html
Collins Dictionary. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/universal-education
OFSE. https://www.oefse.at/fileadmin/content/Downloads/Publikationen/Briefingpaper/BP34-Inequalities-in-education.pdf
Roser, M. (2024b, March 18). The world is awful. The world is much better. The world can be much better. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/much-better-awful-can-be-better
Pusparisa, Y. (2020, June 2). Negeri dan Swasta, Mana yang Mendominasi Sekolah di Indonesia? Katadata. https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2020/02/06/negeri-dan-swasta-mana-yang-mendominasi-sekolah-di-indonesia
Public vs Private School Statistics: Market Report & data • GitNux. (2024, May 28). GITNUX. https://gitnux.org/public-vs-private-school-statistics/
Appreciate you reading. See you on next issue.
Melva Bintang
