Opinion: Why Taiwanese parents prefer private school over public | Cynthia Lin – Grade 9

May 7, 2021 | 0 comments

Parents love their kids, so they always want to give their kids the biggest advantage, especially when it comes to school. In Taiwan, many parents prefer private school over public school because private schools tend to be better for the future prospects of their kids.

Private school students score higher on the GSAT

In Taiwan, all the students who want to enter a college must take the General Scholastic Ability Test no matter which kind of high school a student goes to. The GSAT is like the SAT in America; most colleges will use the test score as an important reference of one’s ability.

This year, there were 11 students from Taipei Wego High School who got perfect grades, while only eight students from Taipei First Girls High School, the best female public high school in Taiwan, got perfect scores. This shows that private school students often perform better. With good grades, students get accepted at better colleges. Therefore, private school students are more likely to get into top universities than public school students.

Private school students may go straight to high school

Since private schools want to keep talented students, they have systems where students with strong grades get automatic entry to high school without taking any assessment exams.

This is in contrast to public schools in Taiwan, where students are required to take an entrance test. This test is called the Comprehensive Assessment Program and all 9th grade students who wish to attend public high schools must take it in order to find out which schools they qualify for.

The Comprehensive Assessment Program, however, is a nightmare for grade nine students. Kids at this level have to study and cram and prepare, because the test covers all of the knowledge students learn in middle school. To avoid the stress this test places on students, parents prefer to send their kids to private schools.

In traditional private schools, the ability gap between students is smaller

Before getting into a traditional private high school, students must take an entrance test that is held by the school instead of by the government. Those entrance tests often test major subjects such as Chinese, math, and English.

By testing those subjects schools can gauge a student’s ability. If a student’s score is too low, that person would not be able to enter the school. This process helps the school select the students they want. Public school, on the other hand, cannot choose the students they want since public schools are open to all people.

In conclusion, parents should send their kids to private school because private school students tend to go to better colleges and are certain to get into private high school programs after junior high. Therefore, if you want your kids to have a better offer or future, you should send your kids to private school without any hesitation, because it is worthwhile.

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