Elite schools hit parents' wallets again (2 Viewers)

[Captain Gh3y]

I payed $10,000 every 2 terms for 2 years. It's not that bad.

EDIT: Well... My parents payed actually. But anyway.

Well we now have comprehensive proof it's not worth the money for what it does.

 

[withoutaface]

...if only these elite schools can stop focusing on syphoning off money for extravagant building projects, corporate golf days, or new cars and houses for executives, or buying new property...AND USE THEM WISELY...IE concentrate their funds on providing BETTER EDUCATION, then i think the fees hardworking parents will pay will be considerably lower.

They have no need to. Parents are still paying the fees.

 

[braindrainedAsh]

I theoretically could have gone to school for free... we paid all the voluntary fees though of course, which amounted to about $60 for year 12. I got in to the course I wanted, and I learnt a lot about how to relate to people from across the broad social spectrum. My parents forked out money for extra curricular activities that we were interested in etc like dance, music and drama, but yeah, my education got me where I wanted.

There seems to be a real moral panic going on at the moment where parents seem scared that their children will fall behind etc unless they go to a private/selective school. I think these elite schools have sensed this fear and have used it to get more money out of parents.

I think what a lot of people don't realize is that it doesn't matter what school you went to etc in many ways, if your child wants to achieve something, they will work towards it, whether it is at one of the shittiest public schools in the state or at one of the best private schools in the Asia Pacific! If they are going to fail and don't have goals to work towards it won't matter what school they are at.

But basically these schools are bastions of elitism... education is undergoing a branding process not much different to jeans or running shoes... saying your child is at a certain school is like saying your sunglasses are the newest from gucci....

I'm not saying these schools are bad, but I wonder whether the parents are paying for the "designer brand" or the quality of education? Also as the parent says, once your kid is enroled in a certain school it is pretty hard on the kid to pull them out and move them to a different school if the fees increase majorly, they are kind of trapped in a way.

 

[eternal_fate]

Well said.

This sterotypical view of education, that is, the higher the expense, the higher the quality is quite outrageous im my view. As braindrainedASH said, private schools are simply milking the rich higher classes for "quality" education.

When will society take a page from its own book?

 

[insert-username]

I think half of the allure of sending your kids to an elite private school are the connections. Sure you're paying lots of money, but so's everyone else - lots of wealth around, as a general statement. Mmmm... connections.


I_F

 

[ediisjoz]

It's the parents' choice whether to send the kids to that school or not. You should know that it's likely that school fees WILL rise, and stop bitching about it - or not send your kids there - simple as that. It all sounds like crappy Today Tonight shit to me.

 

[pritnep]

Can you really put a price on your childs education, happiness and future?

Yes you can..

 

[xeuyrawp]

$20,000 is alot of money, is it really worth it?

No .

 

[veterandoggy]

has anyone gotten the shools ranking list yet? not the top 200 one, the all schools one.

 

[Skillo]

I went to the same school as BraindrainedAsh and I like to think that I came out with the same values and views. My parents to made sure we had a public education, primarily because they too are public teachers but also because they didn't want us 'bubble-wrapped' at the local private school. They wanted us to see the truly SHIT kids and learn from our experiences. Just like Ashlee's parents, my Mum and Dad were more than happy to spend their money on extra-curricular activities, esp. my sister's music habit and my drama fixation.

This kind of debate always comes up now and then. When I was in Year 10 I was in love with the idea of going to a private school until I learnt that a glossy prospectus and pretty buildings will not get me anywhere.

I just see it like this.

Lush lawns and expansive (also expensive) facilities are not going to get me through life. Clubs and societies might be established but I would never want to feel forced into participating in an extra-curricular club, just because it's 'what students at this school do'. I wouldn't want to feel spoon-fed and taught how to go well rather than how to learn.

So why do people spend $20k a year on their child's education? Fear I guess. They don't realise that it is the child that should be getting the marks based upon their own motivation to gain knowledge and skills, not the school. There is this stigma attached to public schools - it's hard to go well, there are no selection policies RAH RAH. But in my year (2004), one of the shittest schools in the region, the one that my parents teach at, their Dux got 99.4. Why? Because she was a hard worker, she didn't have to pay for the mark.
Also tradition plays a big part on parents choosing a school for their child, the whole 'old boy/girl' thing.

Eh. It's up to everyone individually. I don't think we should force our values on one another.

 

[Not-That-Bright]

They don't realise that it is the child that should be getting the marks based upon their own motivation to gain knowledge and skills, not the school. There is this stigma attached to public schools - it's hard to go well, there are no selection policies RAH RAH.

Skillo, not all children are 'hard workers', most require assistance in order to achieve their goal. Parents are not stupid for sending their kids to the high-end private schools... as they do produce great results, and if that is your goal than I think if you can afford private schooling and are too lazy to arrange tutors... private schooling is the way to go.

However it is not always about marks, for instance... my school offered students the opportunity to do the IB, many of the smaller private schools have a focus on religion that the parents care about.... I feel it is mainly the high-end private schools that really attempt to sell 'high marks', and that is because they can produce the results.

 

[MoonlightSonata]

Wrong account, Jesus

 

[Riqtay]

I think $20000 a year for an elite highschool is great, as long as the education offered matches the hefty price tag.

Every students at these schools should in theory all become members of parliament and acheive UAI's in excess of 90. But the truth is that very few students (at Kings School) achieve top end UAI's.

I believe that the parents of these students work very hard to earn high incomes, with the compromise of not spending alot of time with the student. They believe that this compromise can be corrected by sending their children to very expensive schools. That is true to a fair extent, but I believe that you cannot rely solely on the childs school to give a child a healthy upbringing.

The child in my opinion, does obviously gain an advantage in these private schools over public schools, yet the question needs to be asked, does the education gained reflect the pricetag?

 

[velox]

I think $20000 a year for an elite highschool is great, as long as the education offered matches the hefty price tag.

Every students at these schools should in theory all become members of parliament and acheive UAI's in excess of 90. But the truth is that a very few students (at Kings School) achieve top end UAI's.

I believe that the parents of these students work very hard to earn high incomes, with the compromise of not spending alot of time with the student. They believe that this compromise can be corrected by sending their children to very expensive schools. That is true to a fair extent, but I believe that you cannot rely solely on the childs school to give a child a healthy upbringing.

The child in my opinion, does obviously gain an advantage in these private schools over public schools, yet the question needs to be asked, does the education gained reflect the pricetag?

Err, dux at kings was 99.95, then there was a 99.9.......

 

[insert-username]

I think $20000 a year for an elite highschool is great, as long as the education offered matches the hefty price tag.

Every students at these schools should in theory all become members of parliament and acheive UAI's in excess of 90. But the truth is that a very few students (at Kings School) achieve top end UAI's.

I believe that the parents of these students work very hard to earn high incomes, with the compromise of not spending alot of time with the student. They believe that this compromise can be corrected by sending their children to very expensive schools. That is true to a fair extent, but I believe that you cannot rely solely on the childs school to give a child a healthy upbringing.

The child in my opinion, does obviously gain an advantage in these private schools over public schools, yet the question needs to be asked, does the education gained reflect the pricetag?

Its not just about the education, I would think. Parents may think that the connections gained are of more benefit in life.


I_F

 

[Riqtay]

I'm not diputing the quality of some of the students at King's, but I'm stating the fact that not that many students achieve these results. I'm not sure about the exact figures, but I recall from around 200 students in yr 12, only around 30 got high end UAI's.

I went to Cherrybrook Technology Highschool, and in 2004 a student achieved a 100 UAI. She was also the school captain and was involved in many extra curricular activities. Along with her there were around 10 other students who gained a UAI inexcess of 99. Out of around 250 students 58 recieved UAI's above 90 (pretty good considering that its a public school).

The point is, that you don't NEED to send your child to an elite highschool in order for them to perform brilliantly in many aspects of life.

 

[+Po1ntDeXt3r+]

Err, dux at kings was 99.95, then there was a 99.9.......

arent they on academic scholarships too?
so ud have some expectation that they arent paying $20K and started off as pretty decent students just to get the scholarship

 

[Skillo]

However it is not always about marks, for instance... my school offered students the opportunity to do the IB, many of the smaller private schools have a focus on religion that the parents care about.... I feel it is mainly the high-end private schools that really attempt to sell 'high marks', and that is because they can produce the results.

I know this is off topic NTB, but what was your mark in the IB diploma? And no need to explaining what it is, I know about it.

 

[gerhard]

I think its pretty questionably as to whether private schools can actually produce the results. As in, I dont see how anyone can prove that private schools can improve peoples marks when theres alternate explanations, including

1. There is a positive correlation between wealth and intelligence. There is a positive correlation with a parents intelligence and a childs intelligence. Therefore there would be a correlation between parents wealth and childs intelligence.

2. Parents who have a large focus on their childs education are more likely to help/teach/encourage their child and are also more likely to send them to a private school. Parental influence (at a young age especially) would probably have a large effect.

 

[MoonlightSonata]

Pay the mortgage - or educate your child

By Justin Norrie Education Reporter
January 12, 2006

FOR the cost of putting a baby born in 2006 through private schooling, parents could pay off a mortgage on a two-bedroom suburban Sydney flat.

Calculations by the Australian Scholarships Group, an education investment fund, show the cost of an elite school education for a baby born this year will approach $300,000.

Even parents who send their child to government schools will have to pay almost $110,000, the projected costs reveal.

Add a three-year stint at university, totalling $140,000, and the costs blow out to $430,000 and $250,000 respectively.

A spokesman for the fund, Warwick James, said the "confronting" figures were averages taken across several states, and that costs were likely to be much higher for NSW.

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show education fees have been rising at 2½ times the rate of inflation for the past 15 years. [...]

[The president of the Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of NSW, Sharryn Brownlee] warned parents against being "duped into paying private school fees. With the difference between those and public school costs, you could pay for a university education and put a deposit on a first home or buy a car." [...]

For a child born in 2006

Catholic: $178,494

Independent: $288,990


For a child born in 2011

Government: $158,862

Catholic: $261,054

Independent: $422,659

Government: $108,621

- Full Article, SMH

A good reason not to have children too early