Aims of the Debate
This week we will have a debate related to education. This is a chance to practise delivering, supporting and defending your arguments, as well as to practise using persuasive language.
The topic of the debate will be: “Private schools should be abolished.”
Private School = school where parents have to pay for the education
State school = school where the government pays for the education
To gain some ideas of arguments for and against:
- Watch this video: Should we abolish private schools?
- Read the essay below which discusses both sides of the argument.
- Note down arguments for each side of the argument and some examples to support the arguments.
- Think of counterarguments for each argument.
Example
Argument: Social media should be banned for teenagers because of its negative impact on mental health.
Counter-argument: Social media helps teenagers to connect with new friends which is good for mental health.
*****************************************
In the session, you will choose to be either FOR or AGAINST and only argue for that side.
First, you will present your main arguments and then the other team will try to argue against them.
******************************************
Read the text below, which discusses arguments for and against abolishing private schools.
Note down useful words and phrases that you could use in the debate.
You can listen to the audio of the text below. Feel free to use this
Should private schools be abolished?
This is a difficult question that many people feel strongly about. Let’s look at the different arguments for and against private schools.
People who want to abolish private schools say they create an unfair system. Rich families can pay for better education with smaller classes and better facilities, while other children have to go to state schools that might have less money and resources. They argue that this isn’t fair because children from wealthy families get better opportunities in life just because their parents can afford private education. In addition, when rich families don’t use state schools, they might care less about making state schools better.
On the other hand, people who support private schools have convincing arguments too. They say parents should have the right to choose their children’s education. If parents work hard and want to spend their money on private school, why shouldn’t they be allowed to? Private schools often try new teaching methods that can later help all schools improve. They also save the government money because these students don’t need places in state schools.
Private schools can be particularly helpful for some students. For example, they might offer special help for children with learning difficulties or extra programmes in sports or arts that aren’t available in state schools. Many private schools also offer scholarships to help clever students from less wealthy families attend their schools.
However, those against private schools say we could make state schools just as good if everyone worked together to improve them. They think that if all children went to the same schools, people would try harder to make sure all schools were excellent.
Instead of completely abolishing private schools, some people suggest making changes to make the system fairer. For example, private schools could share their facilities with state schools, or they could be required to offer more scholarships to students who can’t afford the fees.
This debate is really about finding the right balance between letting parents choose their children’s education and making sure all children get good opportunities in life, no matter how much money their families have.