BOARDING SCHOOLS VERSUS DAY SCHOOLS

In the modern world, a good education is necessary to get ahead in life and make something of yourself. This being the case, parents try to provide the best education possible to their children. In most countries in the modern world, there are plenty of schools; education is now a right and no longer a privilege. There are schools where the medium of education is a foreign language, there are those whose focus is science and there are standard schools. However, some of these schools provide an extra service: bed and board. These schools are called boarding schools and exist as a choice alongside day schools. Day schools and boarding schools have various similarities and differences and the choice of school depends on the individual.

All schools are run by the Ministry of Education so they are similar in terms of the quality and type of education that is offered, the syllabus and the teaching methods. All schools, whether boarding school or day school, have to provide all the lessons demanded by the Ministry of Education. What’s more, they have to prepare students for the same standardized tests which take place on fixed days. In these respects, all schools are similar. Schools are also similar in terms of the presence of extracurricular activities, playing fields and the like. All schools have playing fields which students can benefit from. Schools are after all educational establishments which aim to develop the mind and character. And as such, the teachers are also graduates of the same teacher training colleges in the country and make use of similar teaching methods. In short, there is little difference between the two types of school with respect to what is taught and how it is taught. Differences emerge with respect to other related factors.

Boarding schools provide a host of services which day schools don’t need to provide as students in day schools go home at the end of the school day. They have sleeping facilities in the form of dormitories, study halls to do homework and dining halls for meals. All this means far more socialization and more independence from the family. Children are able to do far more together: they do homework, eat and sleep together and thus form close bonds. They also learn to be far more independent as they cannot run to their mothers whenever they have a problem. They do have help and supervision though; they are not completely alone. Supervisors in the study hall help with homework and the Matron deals with any problems in the dormitories. Older students take part in a mentoring system to help the younger students. In short, boarding schools provide a life besides education.

In conclusion, schooling is a service provided by the state but it is up to the individual to choose which particular medium he prefers. Some prefer to go to school solely for the purpose of education but others prefer to spend their leisure time there as well. In the modern world, most students have the opportunity to choose and benefit from all that the specific educational establishment they have selected has to offer.