Are co-ed schools better than same sex schools?

This is my response to a question on one of my whatsapp groups on 11th June 2019

Question: Are co-ed schools better than same sex schools.

I had the privilege of attending both type of schools. In the UK I attended several years of secondary school before joining FGGC Owerri. Though I understand the concerns around the single sex school, I prefer the mixed bunch.

I believe parental support and a good communication channel is vital to support the children through their formative years. No matter the class composition, it all boils down to the family values and how it is portrayed and instilled, relationships in the family and the type of child you have.

When I joined FGGC Owerri, I didn’t quite understand the excitement around the opposite sex. I was baffled at the stories of people jumping walls etc etc… let’s not talk about the cases of pregnancy that we had the pleasure to gossip about. And this is just the girls school. I was later to find out that the mixed schools were not immune to these challenges. Hense it boils down to the child.

Personally I could not imagine jumping over the wall to go anywhere. I grew up with boys and went to a co-ed school all my life.. until I arrived at FGGC Owerri…. so no great interest in sustaining any form of injury while attempting to scale a wall…. the fear of snake bite is the beginning of wisdom.

Some children do need more supervision and guidance than others irrespective of the school you choose for them. As parents we should be able to assess and plan the care of our children according to their needs.

Academically it is known that girls are at their best while at secondary school stage. They are diligent in their studies, however they tend to slack a bit when they get to the university. The opposite is known to happen to boys. In their case you often have to keep chasing them round to study at the secondary school stage, but they eventually pick up pace at university … I have an example of both sexes….

Based on my experience, I chose co-ed schools for all my blessings. Even attending the same school to avoid the mathematics of school holiday time table. The world is mixed and in addition to academics, It is important they develop and improve on their ability to communicate effectively with the opposite sex, interpersonal skills, team work, tolerance etc etc….. so the earlier we get used to managing each other…. the better🤪

Nene Sterling-LS