A Sweet Taste of Both Sides

I was fortunate to attend a private school almost all through my life. At some point, I had to settle for public schools, which seemed affordable but for value; that story will be touched on in depth in the body of this post. So my foundational schooling years were all Private institutions. Talking about foundational, I am talking about nursery, primary and secondary education all being gotten from a private school.

I think I had a pleasant foundational schooling experience as this event helped build up my character and also, in a way, shaped my life. Being in a private school as a kid helped provide some security against the harsh reality of life I was not ready for. The schooling environment was secure, and upholding moral values was high when compared to public schools. I enjoyed attending a private school during this period because the teachers were much nicer and more informed and equipped. At my own school, the teachers could focus on kids because we were only a handful, which made it easier for us to assimilate during this period.

In my foundational years, I attend a High light group of schools, consisting of both creche, nursery primary and secondary school. I spent 13 years schooling in this school, i.e. from 3 to 15 years before I moved to a public school. So I can say that stability environment worked wonders in my life. I meet amazing friends with whom I am still friends up to this day from that school. The benefits of the educational setting I found myself in were endless. I was much more confident and intelligent than the average student in a public school. I had nice clothes to wear, textbooks, classrooms to learn in, a library to study and teachers I could approach anytime for clarification on a subject matter. We had practicals on science and technology-related topics, going on excursions, and a computer room and teacher to get hands-on computer knowledge.

I feel the private school I attended was perfect, and I could not recommend a change in how things were been approached. However, the public school I attended was a different story altogether. I attended a public university, and I will not say it was all that bad because I had some good memories about the school, but a lot could be improved upon when I schooled there (It is over 8 years since I left the school now).

I attend Kwara state university (KWASU), a public school or public tertiary institution. I was quite fortunate to get in when it was still new, I was among the third set of graduates from the school, and we were fortunate to have a Vice-chancellor who had global exposure; hence it translated to how we do things then. The school environment was cool and provided a great learning atmosphere. I happened to study accounting and finance, and I was privileged to be schooled by the best of hands. Most have moved on from lecturing and her holding big political posts in government due to their extraordinary contribution to education.

So did I enjoy schooling in a public setting? The answer is yes, as it gave me an idea of how real life works. Life is not rosy, and it was lovely; I learnt that early as a student in a public university. I have to be sharper, outspoken and also security conscious. You must train yourself repeatedly and re-invent yourself along the line. Private schools might have provided security, but public schools provided the tools to face life. In my public school, I enjoyed the benefits of learning in relation to real and current happenings in life, as against what public schools were known for. The school does not also go on strike too. We had a functional library and a greatly equipped school hostel. Security was top-notched, and the classrooms were well-furnished, equipped, and neat. As I said, KWASU, then VC was a visionary with public exposure; he used to be a lecturer at a university in Canada. So he ran the school to a great standard and a standard to be admired by not just Kwasu's fellow public institutions but even the private universities.

The only thing I could have changed was that the school was new and had little infrastructure. However, that changed as they grew older, but I was no longer in the school to enjoy the facilities provided. So yeah, to be a public school and private is great, depending on how they are being managed and who is managing it. The IQ and vision of the manager must be top-notch.