why isn't it fair to compare public and private schools?
I mean, I know the funding is completely and utterly unfair- the government pays the schools to build tennis courts, whereas my public school had to hold our gaduation ceremony at another school because we didn't fit in the hall!- but if you say it like the private schools deserve to be in a different league, then it spreads that misconception. I did attend a selective high school, and whilst some may deem this account thus unfair, my school received no greater funding than other public schools and is perhaps the most dilapidated school on the northern beaches- however, it is not your surroundings that grant you success.
As for people paying money to send kids to a 'good school', that is an incredible stereotype! after all, what makes a good school? So my school didn't have a hall or an oval, but we had incredible support systems that allowed us to succeed within our own realms of independence, without being 'spoonfed'. It is statistically proven that public school students do better at uni than private school students, not in any reflection on their high school education or learning, but reflecting the 'life-long' experiences and learning that has been granted there. Some (not all) private schools have given students little reason or opportunity to fight for something, or extend themselves, and has not sufficiently prepared students for the 'real world' where there is not the best facilities, and where there is interaction with the opposite sex in a classroom environment! (omg!)
I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is no reason public and private school shouldn't be compared- it may seem unfair based on funding alone, but there is so much more to what makes a 'good' school. unfortunately, many parents do not understand this and feel that by paying incredible amounts of money for their child's education entitles them to a top UAI, rather than gives them equipment to earn such rewards. Private schools are no better than public schools and vice versa. stop this 'private schools are automatically good schools' shit- it is such a term that creates tension between defensive public schoolers and where the stereotypical 'arrogant private schooler' image is born.