Merve Cura - 25

Most countries offer two education systems from which parents can select the form of schooling which most suits their own child. Compare and contrast state-run and privately-owned schools in your country or in a foreign country.

In nearly all countries around the world, there are two kinds of schools depending on whether they belong to the government or private initiatives such as charity organizations or diasporas. Each option has its own advantages and drawbacks in terms of various aspects. It is essential to consider all the aspects.

In Turkey, my home country, most of the children are continuing their education in state-run schools. Two of the best features of state-run schools are firstly they are free, and moreover they are located even in the smallest villages. The quality of education is, however, miles away from being satisfactory in many schools. This means, the standards of the education provided in state-run schools is not equal, and it extremely depends on the teacher who work in a school, as well as the location of the school. Since the home address is the first criteria to enroll in a school in Turkey, when their child is aged enough to start formal education, many families move to another neighbourhood where a school with better education is located.

The privately-owned schools, on the other hand, are known with their high quality education, but the education they provide depends on their prices. The top quality privately-owned schools are generally the most expensive ones, but they grant excellent students with a discount or a scholarship that covers all the education expenses. In most cases, there are waiting lists for these schools because being graduated from these schools is prestigious after which graduated pupils start life many steps ahead of their peers. Conversely, the cheaper options provided by the private sector are nearly the same as those in the state-run schools, but they offer extra language classes and less number of students in a classroom, which are convinient options considering the state-run schools classes with at least 30 students.

In conclusion, like nearly every other country in the world, Turkey has both schools that belong to the state and private initiatives based schools. The quality of the education depends on location in state-run schools, while in privately-owned schools it is determined by the price and other factors.