This is a comprehensive study of English as a second language in government and private schools. A total of 280 self made questionnaires were prepared and circulated among the students and the teachers in the two school situations and also collected the data by survey method (interview). The result shows that the government-school teachers have an edge over the private-school teachers in many respects such as their qualification, training and teaching experience. But ironically the results of the latter are more encouraging than the former. Both the categories of teachers are largely dissatisfied with the prescribed syllabus of English at the primary level, because of its many drawbacks, even though the private-school teachers are not as much discontented as the government-school teachers are. The available infrastructure of the private schools is much better than that of the government schools. As far as teaching/learning aids are concerned, the latter lack these facilities, while the private-school situation with regard to the facilities is more or less better. The students of private schools enjoy a rare advantage over their counterparts of the government schools in the form of more learning years in their pre-primary (Nursery) classes, an educational system which is not strictly in place in the government schools. The Nursery classes in the latter are completely disordered.