As a disclaimer, I have to admit that I was never schooled in a private school. Though the debate about which system is better is always contentious and sometimes highly emotive, I thrive on thinking about such issues as an individual who has been functioning as an education strategist for the last few years.

In education strategy, as in any field, you have your niches, and I can only speak from my own personal experiences, encounters, research and worldview.

One day I had a meeting with a former teacher who had left the private school system and had now established her own literacy and numeracy educational support non-profit. A younger, more naive me, excitedly expressed how well I thought of the private school education system and my positive (almost worshipful) perception of the system. This veteran in education looked at me and said, “private schools also have their own problems; they are just different.”

She went on to explain how awkward it can be to be in a school where the learners drive more expensive cars than their teachers. She also told me about the immense pressure felt by some teachers in a private school setting, as parents always expect perfection from them because they are supposedly being paid well. The pressure to perform is then compounded.

For all the problems often talked about when it comes to South African Government/ public schools, I don’t believe we should always be bashing that system. Sure, if you’re an affluent person, it makes sense to take your child to a private school where they will be in a smaller class and have access to more resources, etc; but philosophy, purpose, or your more psychological and spiritual dimension will let you know intuitively where any human belongs.

Home-schooling and online schooling are interesting alternatives now. For some, home-schooling is done for religious and/or ideological reasons to beat the effects of the so-called “hidden curriculum’’ or what one learns subconsciously from mainstream education. It really is a matter of philosophy to me, and it makes sense why ‘Philosophy of Education’ is a module taken for aspiring teachers,

In my opinion, the choice between private and government/ public school education doesn’t solely rest on money. It shouldn’t always be about asking which system is better; but rather, maybe, which system will best suit the predispositions of any young human and their aims or life purpose.