As someone who has only ever attended public school, my knowledge of private education consists mainly of stories from friends who attended elite schools or stereotypes about such educational institutions. Before formally learning about elite education, I assumed that private schools were mostly funded by generous donors and through tuition payments. After learning about the Australian education system, however, I now understand that the government is responsible for contributing to all forms of schooling in the nation. Additionally, I learned that Australian private schools must follow the same guidelines as public schools (Exfin 2022). With this in mind, I wonder what attracts students and their families to private schools when they could receive the same academic information at public schools.
To answer my own question above: perhaps privileged families are attracted by the promise of fancy bells and whistles that private schools offer on top of the standardized forms of education across Australia. According to our research, Australian private schools boast of modern sporting facilities and excellent teaching staff (Courtney Facts 2023). That said, are these private school resources the only attractive qualities of elite education? While top-of-the-line sports fields and intelligent teachers are impressive, perhaps elite families are choosing Australian private schools over public schools to stay within a particular social and cultural circle. Indeed, as we have learned in class, Pierre Bourdieu suggests that elite class cultures are reproduced by the exclusivity of achieving high status in society (Bourdieu 1996). Through attendance at private schools, Australian elite students are receiving particular lessons in social and cultural capital that less advantaged students at public schools receive. Here, young elites maintain their elite status by attending private institutions where they have access to specific knowledge and resources that are only accessible to the upper classes.
Ultimately, learning about the Australian education system has brought up questions about the equality of private and public schools. It appears to be a case in which private schools attract students and families with higher economic capital. In the case of Everdeen, students are urged to embrace their global citizenship. However, by attending a prestigious private school, are these students really engaging in a culturally diverse community?
Works Cited
Bourdieu, Pierre. 1996. The State Nobility: Elite Schools in the Field of Power. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.
Courtney Facts. 2023. “Are Private Schools Better Than Public Schools?.” ABC News Australia.
Last modified January 19, 2023. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-20/ are-private-schools-better-than-public-schools/101867070.
Exfin. 2022. “State or Private Education.” Accessed March 13, 2023.https://www.exfin.com/state-private-education
