One comes across the names of many schools,
some of them very prominent ones, which incorporate the words “Public Schools”.
When we use the word ‘Public’ for organizations, it usually means they are
state owned. Take for example the government banks are called Public Sector
Banks or say some manufacturing units or companies which are called Public
Sector Units (PSUs). Imagine if we call the ICICI Bank as ICICI Public Bank or
HDFC Public Bank. This sounds so illogical. Then why XX Public School?
Logically schools that are funded by the government or by
the community should only be called ‘Public Schools.’ This perception that
‘Public Schools’ only provide good education must be demolished.
Today, anyone can open a school and
call itself a Public School. No doubt there are many Public Schools whose
students give excellent results and score high in the board examinations and
specialized entrance examinations. But, then, there are many who try to build
their brand calling itself a ‘Public School’ with little infrastructure or team
of good teachers.
Even in smaller towns one would not be
surprised to find many schools which call themselves Public Schools.
Trying to find out what’s the practice in USA came across
this in Wikipedia :
“Education in the United States is provided by public, private and home schools.” (This clearly gives the different
categories and public and private are separate.)
“State governments set overall
educational standards, often mandate standardized tests for K–12 public
school systems and supervise, usually through a board of regents, state
colleges, and universities. Funding comes from the state, local, and federal government. Private schools are
generally free to determine their own curriculum and staffing policies, with
voluntary accreditation available through independent regional accreditation
authorities, although some state regulation can apply.”
