A LETTER

Dear sir/madam,

I am writing with reference to the article published in your newspaper in January about girls’ performance in single-sex schools. It is said the results and targets accomplished by them are better than the ones achieved in co-educational centres according to recent research.

There are obvious reasons which would explain it. Firstly, we could mention the fact of the ratio. While in co-educational centres the number of students in each class is more than twenty, this figure is extremely uncommon in single-sex schools. Attending a small group of students is, by far much easier than teaching a large one.

Secondly, education professionals have a good chance to adapt their teaching methods to the girls’ learning attitudes, interests and motivations. In single-sex classes they are more confident and I am convinced that the security environmental feeling created is better and favour their learning process.

Another reason why girls’ performance in single-sex schools is better would be the competitive mess arisen among pairs. The focus on the group would be to become the best and every effort would drive to achieve high marks in the subjects studied.

On the other hand, we have to bear in mind that this kind of education is not a real one. Benefits of co-education all along the world are widely spread. In co-educational schools boys take advantage because usually they learn skills acquired earlier by girls. I mean that in mixed classes boys perform better than in mixed ones, which is just the opposite in the girls’ case.

Under my own point of view based on twenty years of teaching English as a foreign language in Spanish primary schools I would recommend co-education for some reasons. One of them would be the chances education must offer to all of us. We have to be able to give same opportunities. Our duty is to educate for the real life, and this means much more than teaching. This is the main reason why I will always defend co-education.

Coromoto