I have heard this debate many times about which is better or preferably between same-gender schools and mixed schools.
Like the word connotes "same-gender", this is a school where only boys or only girls attend. "In my country, there are same-gender schools like King's College and Queen's College. While a mixed school comprises both the male and the female gender.
While I wouldn't say I would be giving a perfect answer to this prompt, I would love to still give my opinion based on what I have learned about these two different schools. One might not be able to understand what they haven't experienced which means my opinions might be based on the kind of school I attended myself.
I attended a mixed school right from a young age and while I can't give an account of my experiences from a young age, I can give an account of my experiences when I became a teenager.
I believe that at some point in life, children will grow into adults and like they say "Experience is the best teacher" and also that education within the four walls of the classroom shouldn't be limited to just reading and learning. Students need experience in other areas and I think these experiences can be deeply understood by attending a mixed school.
I am not against same-gender schools, they probably have their advantages as well but I will never subject my children to such schools as I want them to get all the experiences they can.
I won't deny the fact that teenagers especially during puberty begin to have some bodily changes which might be seen to cause "distractions" to the opposite gender. I have seen cases where students begin to develop feelings for one another despite the talk on morals we as teachers give them to stay away from any form of distractions.
But then are we to say that these "distractions " don't occur in same-gender schools? Like I stated earlier, I didn't attend one so I can't give an account of what goes on there.
While I was in school, I do sometimes visit some of my female friends in their hostel. You will get to see 2 to 3 girls sharing a room and there you will get to know the level of enmity among some of them. The level of jealousy is on the rise and sometimes we do have voices raised at one another. Some go as far as fighting or hitting each other all for one reason or the other. So whether mixed or not, students will always be students.
I believe that mixed schools not only allow people to meet one another, It also help others see things from each other's points of view.
Another reason why I prefer mixed schools is that it helps promote gender equality which is something we still fight for in our society today. In mixed schools, students are taught not to discriminate and always show respect for one another.
Lastly, mixed schools help students prepare for real-life problems because the fact remains that students will come in contact with the opposite gender at some point in their lives. So how does a student who is used to seeing only boys or only girls cope with dealings with the opposite gender?
I always believe no knowledge is wasted and whatever students learn from a tender age will be useful to them in the future as they grow into adults.
Thank you all for reading.
This post is not to condemn any of the schools, I only gave my opinion on my choice between the two schools