A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF LAHORE

Abstract

The quality of education is an important factor in improving students’ academic development and learning outcomes. The aim of the current study was to compare the quality of education between the public and the private higher secondary schools of Lahore. It employed a quantitative comparative research design and 400 students participated in the study by completing a structured questionnaire on a five-point Likert scale. The research investigated four key areas of quality in education, which include course organization, library facilities, institutional facilities and instructional technology. The responses of students were analyzed, and descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were made to compare the two school sectors. The results showed that students tended to have a positive perception of the quality of education in both the public and the private schools. Nevertheless, the results in comparison revealed that the mean scores of the private schools were higher in all four dimensions. The particular areas of the private schools that were rated higher were on the structure of courses, library facilities, the institutional facilities, access to computers and internet as well as the use of instructional technology. The research concludes that the two fields play a role in the educational growth of students, but the learning resources, institutional facilities, individual learning needs, and the integration of technology need to be improved especially in the public schools. The research proposes the reinforcement of educational materials, professional growth of teachers, and efficacious application of instructional technology to enhance the quality of education in higher secondary schools of Lahore.