School Hunting

Ok. The big decision of returning back to india is over…now comes the next stages and on…and the most important of all this is the school hunt, if you have a 3 year old, you are not so worried as when you are returning with a teenage or a middle/high school kids….the transitions, be it syllabus, peer environment or the whole environment in general..the amount of tension, the emotional stress and the validation of the decision everything the parents go through cannot be compared…shall I say hell....

This weekend I had a email from my friend,” shanthi, what shall I do, my son goes to the state of art school here in the US, with only 10 kids in his class, how will he cope up with a 40 student class”….and have been getting lots of queries in the same trend from aspiring return to India parents also..

So what do you think is education, is it studying physics,chemistry,maths or English….no…to quote..vivekandanda.. Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man.

I abhor the system which aims at educating our children in the same manner as that of the man who battered his ass, being advised that it could thereby be turned into a horse.(ofcourse let me not get deviated..)..but that is how the school, the parents are ..

A piece of suggestion, from a been there parent:

First, you have to understand, Indian education system is different, than the counterparts…and our conditioning about schools is different.. …It’s the public schools however that have in fact become the torchbearers of quality education in India. Public schools here are synonymous with private schools. This is in sharp contrast to the West where state-run schools are considered to be the best. you cannot expect a vast change from when you left school to now..there has been a change in the outlook of education, the competitive spirit, the teachers approach, students approach and also the syllabus…..

Usually, the criteria to pick a good school…in my opinion….

Quality of faculty: Based on the teachers’ educational background, their experience and teaching effectiveness. Today the government is bringing in stringent rules that a teacher has to compulsorily have a B.Ed, M.Ed.along with the graduation or post graduation. In some instances, though the teacher does have a high qualification, the drive, the thirst to keep themselves updated is not seen..which reflects on the kids also….

Infrastructure and facilities: Including the buildings, classrooms, computer labs, libraries and playgrounds…as I said playgrounds are shrinking..hygene, cleanliness should be seen to a extent..you cannot expect the school to be like your home..though it could be at least next best if your kid is going to stay there for more than 8 hours of his time, but that is not the case.

Attention to students: Assessed on the basis of student-faculty ratio as well as the class size. But today with the urban population bursting the seams, the demand is more than the supply…so don’t expect a 1:10 ratio…there are classes which have 1:70..and sections upto m,n,l…..

Sports: Facilities for different sports and encouragement given to students to excel in their areas of interest; today parents feel, let my child get a better academic education, I can provide the sports facilities outside the school.

Co-curricular activities: Importance given to co-curricular activities like debates, quiz, dramatics, etc.. of course this is equally important..there are very few schools that give much importance to this..

Academic environment: As reflected in the final examination results. Does only final examination count? Then you can narrow your searches to result oriented schools…
Along with this, I would like to iterate, please think of the distance your child has to travel..very few schools have the distance criteria. There are kids who travel 20/30 km to a school in the city from a suburbs…half the time, is wasted on traveling…and how will the kid perform…

Though I have given the point for a good school, very very few schools can be called the best, if we scale them rigidly with these pointers…..
The list could go on…

So when you are narrowing on a school, think there are like minded parents…and when you aim at the best schools, the school teacher student ratios, or the number of sections for a single class cannot be small owing to the demand.
Again, whether you are going to put you child in the best, mediocre or an average school you have to give your inputs to your child,which is the common scenario that is seen .(esp.chennai..).
Second language, the most common problems faced by most parents is this one…
There are two school of thoughts..one why can’t your kid learn the mother tongue instead of you searching for schools with foreign languages…and another that already the transition is going to be difficult, let the child at least not have too much struggle to learn a new language.. it is your decision about the language and also about the school that has that facility.
Even before you start, please condition your mind, to the differences in the education system, the atmosphere, and everything…without too much comparisons and expectations…it will be a smooth ride.
Talk to your neighbours, kids who play around your building, about the schools.
Talk to the other parents who pick up application in schools, sometimes you would be surprised to hear stories about schools you thought were the best…..(from experience…)

Happy school hunt ……….:iagree.

(These are all my personal views, need not be completely accepted by others…but it is an effort to help those who need pointers….)

 

hi sheshirekha,

thanks for your points...I agree that ours is considered one of the best, but still there are lot of drawbacks in our system, we are more academic oriented in our syllabus...there should be more practical and observation oriented...at least till the 5/6th grade inculcating the urge to try and learn instead of roting in children...

This thread is to bring in all those parents who have decided to r2i and are thinking about their kids education and worried...

Kids when very young, learn to adjust very well...it is we as parents transfer our fears and tensions into them...and also a little bit of talking and referring that we will be back to india goes a long way....

 

leelal,

Thanks for stepping in with your views...I would definitely agree with what you say about teachers. I think if the schools do pay them well, they will not be forced to take tutions outside schools and would concentrate better at school....

let us keep discussing....:coffee

 

Sharmila,

Beg to differ. At 4 your daughter needs you more than her Grandparents. Grandparents can be part of her life but cannot be parents. If you are planning to Return to India in the immediate future say in between the present academic year, you can definitely look at options of putting her in school in india otherwise it would be better you keep her with you.

(This is my personal view.)

 

Abhi,

I am happy that this post was useful for you.

Though you would know..again let us sum up....

GCSE/IGCSE/GCE are part of the british system.

GCSE stands for general certificate of secondary education. IGCSE is just new the international version. they replaced the 'O' Level (Ordinary Level) GCE (general certificate of education), and are awarded after the student finishes year 11 (what we used to refer to as the 5th form in the same british form).

the 2 years before college (years 12 and 13, what we called the 6th form: lower 6 and upper 6) end with the GCE A Level (Advanced Level) exams.


CBSE is would look a better option if you are returning back to india. and he will definitely have an greater advantage over students who are in matric when he comes into the matric system. even gcse he will not feel it difficult to cope in the matric system. as long you take care of the second language part.

But again, if you have an option of putting him in cbse school in india, I would prefer cbse for the child, as the transition is very smooth. My kids have really adjusted well...

I think you are confused, and all of us go through this phase when you start thinking about planning to r2i.

if you have any doubts..you are welcome to discuss...

all the best to you and your family.. and you still have 4 years...