This isn't the old private school vs public school debate. Fact though is most parents and most people have this belief that the costlier it is to get education at some institution, the higher the quality of education you'll get. Is it just a [false] belief by association [expensive means quality] or are those schools and colleges [which charge ridiculously high tuition fees] better than the ones which don't?
I guess it's like everything else, people always place higher value on pricier products and services. We turn our noses at anything "cheap", sometimes on face value! I don't always go off price alone, I try to look at all the facts. In this case I believe that the schools and colleges that charge higher tuition fees are likely to have a well known good rep, so that if you say you studied there, already you have an advantage over other candidates whether it's for a job or whatever. Some may say it's not fair, but it does happen. Not all schools and colleges are created equal, and the fees almost always determine where in the hierarchy they fall. A lot of it has to do with perception, I guess.
Expensive tuition should mean better education as in highly qualified teachers, facilities, books etc,. A lot depends on the subject and also the pupil. I have many friends who had a private education and none of them took advantage of it and never got qualification, either they were too lazy or not clever enough. Different institutions maybe renowned for particular topics, like science or law and hence the fees reflect the successful alumini. I do think cheaper tuition can be as good, and it's how the student uses what is available.
In my country, with the exception of some public colleges, private schools are definitely better when it comes to primary and secondary education. Larger facilities, better amenities, better field trips and extra curricular activities, etc. You get to mingle with kids with good financial backgrounds too. When I was enrolled in cheaper schools, the "culture" and of course the services of cheaper schools did not match at all with what I have been used to experience in an expensive school. You really do get what you pay for.
Touching on what Theo said about some people not taking full advantage of the expensive private education money affords them, we have the same thing here. Some rich kids are either too lazy or too stupid to take advantage of and benefit full from their private education, which is such a waste. What annoys me is that, as thick and lazy as some of them are, they still get better job prospects just because they went to such a school.
I think it's partly about what the level of teaching is but also it's about the people you surround yourself with. The old saying of "you are the average of the five people you surround yourself with" probably has some relevance in this space. Even at a young age you'll effectively be networking and mixing with people with higher aspirations and better connections than public school individuals. At the end of the day getting ahead is also about who you know.
That's not always true. The best university in our country is a state-owned university which has high admission standards particularly for courses that are listed as priority courses. I can't say the same for other state universities though. It's true though that when you're enrolled in the top 4 university here, of which only one is a state university, that is already a definite advantage, no matter how unfair it sounds. I happened to have a boss with an MBA from one of the top exclusive universities and believe me, he was a slow-witted person who can't remember important figures and details. But well, he drives a BMW and he's got an MBA. Those things could easily convince business owners that he can be an asset to the company.
Well I like what @Jamille said above in that it is not always the case, but unfortunately where I am it is most often times the case. It seems to be getting worse too, with no clear end in sight. All the while student debt is a big issue, and I am included in on that one. What a mess.
When talking of quality education, the first factor is the school. Understandably the expensive schools provide more quality since they have better teachers. The second factor is the classmates who are scions of rich families. You already have an advantage to know classmates who are rich.
Where I had studied was the most substandard government school with "free" education. We had like 80 student per class and such 4 classes per stream. Sometimes we were overcrowded too. The teacher ratio remained the same. Windows had no glasses and broken benches. You get my point. Strangely, we produced the best lot every year despite all the hardship. In the end it boils down to the mental strength and interest of the pupil. Otherwise schools are just classrooms, desks and chalkboard. One can study without even teachers as long as one has the correct textbooks.
Truth is, the education part has never been cheaper as fewer and fewer high-paid professors are teaching students in colleges across the USA. Over 70% of university instruction is now done by adjuncts or untenured, untenurable personnel. What cost the big bucks are all the levels of administration that have been brought in to manage ever smaller sectors of the overall enterprise. As most administrators are failed academics, it is hardly surprising that they are also ineffective at management. This causes an increasing number of levels of administration to be added to cover for their inabilities. Current universities are as likely to have as many vice presidents as the typical bank.
There is an adage that goes that if you think education is expensive, try ignorance. But its not necessarily the case that the more expensive the education is, the higher the performance though it has a definite advantage. Some have studied in modest schools and colleges and consistently scored high.
I think the good news is that the more that technology really picks up the more I think that this is starting to go the other way a little bit. I know that there is still that sort of classism when it comes to school, but I think that it is slowly getting better...at least I hope.
It's better to consider both the quality of education and the cost. Some schools may be expensive just because they are in a rich neighbourhood but the education quality is still poor. But, all in all, high quality education is expensive.
Even though most of the governments the world over provide basic education free, quality of education on state owned institutions is really poor.On the other hand private education is very expensive. Usually, education in private institutions is better than in government owned institutions.
Choice of the school depends on a lot of factors. Private schools are a lot more expensive as they promise to provide world class education. In my opinion, if a child can utilize the online resources perfectly, he/she can excel from anywhere. There are a number of free sites such as Coursera, edX, Udacity, Khan Academy and others which offer free courses on a variety of topics. From a child's point of view, discipline should come first. As long as he/she is disciplined and has a hunger for learning, success will automatically follow. Choice of the school has a little impact as long as the student is good.
The quality of education has been deteriorating from the time when the worth has started being measured by money. Teaching is a profession where the best of the merits should be included, but here just the opposite is happening, especially in so called expensive private schools. When people can get through to certain collages through donations, there remains no point of doing hard work. As education has become a procurable commodity so quality and expense are becoming synonyms. Otherwise, the quality education could come from even from a petty government school as well.
From my experience paying high fees for education does not automatically guarantee quality education. It's mostly the private schools that charge expensive fees for education, the reason for this can be understood since they are all self sustaining and would need charge more to meet all their running cost. Public or government schools with a much relatively low school fees can boast more of qualified teachers, the issue at times here especially in the developing countries is the public schools may be lacking in some equipment for learning.
