There’s always a debate brewing in the room if children must be given education in a single sex school or a co-education school. But since quite a few times, single-sex schools have gained momentum.
Single-Sex Schools Have An Upper Hand
Parents are finding no objection in admitting their
children in the same gender school and perhaps even consider it as a better
option. Apart from single-sex private schools, now, more than 400 public
schools have been opened up.
So, what’s triggering this movement? What’s the motive
behind it? Research shows that there is basic difference behind the learning
patterns of girls and boys and how they learn better in an environment of the
same gender. But the debate goes beyond pure academics, politics, social, civil
and legal concerns also come into play.
Factors Concerning The Case
There are many factors that affect a child’s learning
process, including the child’s nature, gender, temperament, intelligence even
the parents’ approach the child, the socio-economic status of parents and the
environment in which the child lives.
According to Leonard Sax, the founder of the National
Association of the Single-sex public education, “wherever girls and boys are
together, their behavior affects the larger society in which they live.”
Again, this statement is a subject to debate and
arguments.
The Pros
People who advocate for single-sex education to be a
better option argue that some parents don’t want their children to study in a
mixed-gender classroom because at a certain age, opposite gender can prove to
be a distraction to studies.
Teachers can explain certain sensitive topics more openly
without any hesitation and even the students don’t feel uncomfortable. Research
also suggests that girls learn better in a warm environment while boys like to
learn in a cooler temperature.
If this hypothesis is true, classrooms can be set to the
suitable temperature according to the gender and optimum performance can come
out of students.
Advocates of single-sex education claim that co-ed schools
reinforce gender stereotypes. While in same gender schools, there are no gender
stereotypes.
For instance, in an all-girls schools, girls don’t get
intimated by boys, they don’t have to work hard to prove their worth against
boys in usually male dominated subjects such as math, science and PE.
In a similar way, boys don’t feel ashamed or inferior to
show an interest in subjects considered feminine such as music or poetry. This
way, students feel less threatened by gender stereotypes imposed by society. It
also boosts up their confidence level and personality growth.
The Cons
Critics of single-sex education argue that the teaching
techniques and learning environments promoted by advocates of single-sex
education are ineffective for some students or even detrimental which is worse.
Also, when students who have studied in an all-girls or
all-boys schools face greater challenges ahead in future when they have to face
a mixed-gender environment or have to work against or team up with opposite
gender.
The American Education Council reports that there is less
academic disparity between males and females and it also bridges the gap of
gender divide. People also find single-sex schools discriminatory.
It Is Our Choice
There is a wide range of arguments over this idea. But in
the end, single-sex education is an option rather than a requirement and it
solely is a personal choice.
Written by - Khadija Kapasi
Edited by - Keerthana Lakshmi
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