Education And Human Rights Essay, Research Paper
I feel that private education violates human rights. For example, it restricts essential resources to just those that can afford to pay for them, when in fact; those resources should be made available to every single student, regardless of economic status. When these resources are denied to a student, that student falls behind others that do receive those resources, and this creates a never-ending cycle that ultimately results in a person receiving a lesser-quality education every step of the way. This can, and most likely will, affect the jobs that are available to them upon entry to the work force.
Furthermore, as hard as companies try to convince us that they are equal opportunity employers, no company would hire someone with less education over someone with more education. And the people with more education are invariably those who received those same essential resources at the beginning of their academic journey – students who attended private schooling. The blame should not be placed on the companies, who simply want the best available talent, but on the school system itself, whose distribution system for the aforementioned resources is unfairly skewed towards anyone that can afford to pay for them.
Another disadvantage of not receiving private education is that those who do are seen as smarter and better learners then those who don t. However, some of the best students have come from normal public schools. The problem stems from the stereotype of private education. The stereotype is that everyone who attends a public school is less qualified then those who received private education. In fact, I have seen examples wherein a person tells someone else where they attended high school, and the other person makes judgments based solely on the name of the school.
It is an unfortunate, yet commonplace, occurrence that often results in a disadvantageous cycle. For example, to acquire a well-paying job, you need to possess a certain level of education. However, to get that education, you need a job already. It is reminiscent of the chicken and egg syndrome in that you cannot get one without the other. Another negative effect of the aforementioned cycle is that someone who only received public education may suffer from low self-esteem since they may possibly be criticized for something beyond their control. For example, a boss might make a remark that I ll have John do it, he went to a real school. If a person hears that enough, they might stop believing in themselves, when, in fact, they might be better suited for that job then John was.
Another negative result of what I like to call educational discrimination is that students who attend private schools are not only provided with a higher-quality education, but they also are usually taught other skills, such as social etiquette.
The following are some differences between public and private schools. Public schools tend to have larger enrollments. Private school teachers are more satisfied with their working conditions. Average class size is larger in public schools. Private school teachers and principles believe that they have a great deal of influence. Private school teachers reported having more autonomy in the classroom. Exposure to crime or threats is far more common in public schools. Private school teachers share a greater sense of community with in their schools. Elementary teachers in public and private schools use similar teaching methods. Private high schools appear to have more rigorous academic programs. Graduates of private high schools are much more likely to have taken advanced mathematics and sciences courses.
Another disadvantage that I have noticed regarding private education is that the student body at private schools is usually made up of one type of student. However, public schools are much more diverse and therefore the students are exposed to much more then they would be at a private school. In other words, I feel that public schools better prepare a student for the real world since public schools provide a better representation of what the real world is like. Private schools give a student a false set of expectations as to what life is really like, as well as not providing a student with necessary skills required to interact with other people.
Another negative aspect that is not often recognized is that, with all of the negative press directed at public schools by the media, people tend to view private schools as the holy grail of education and expect it to be a perfect solution. Therefore, when something goes wrong, no matter how small and/or insignificant, it is unforgivable. Furthermore, this places an unnecessary strain upon the students, who are still growing up and are not totally ready to be adults yet. What’s more, this creates a burdensome cycle similar to the previous one in that when unwelcome stress is placed on someone, they rarely perform better, but often perform worse. This increases the stress even more.
Lastly, in my opinion, in a public school environment, the parents of students have less input when compared to private schools. Why this may sound like a negative observation at first, it is in fact a positive one. This is because the administration is not spending time satisfying the sometimes-unnecessary requests of parents and more time actually paying attention to the student body, who most deserve the attention of the administration. Furthermore, since private schools are just that, private, they are not regulated as well as public schools are. That can lead to an unfair prioritization of resources that is skewed towards private schools.