Dear Parents/Readers,
School — a temple for education is what it was called a few decades ago. Is it the same thing now? Do the kids and their parents share the same respect for this place?
Well, if you are talking days and nights with your spouse about bright education standards for your kid who is not born yet or if your kids have started going to schools already, you must first check all the news related to the education standards of schools in your vicinity. Just be prepared much beforehand than regretting later.
Few facts you should know about the school your kid will be spending her/his entire childhood in:
1. Are International Schools Certified?
“My kid is in an international school…” is one striking fame-statement running like a wildfire in the market of education within India. Most of the parents brag about their kids’ international schooling standards. Slowly, the word ‘temple’ has moved to being a ‘5-Star‘ experience. But, wait a minute… are you sure about the 5-star treatment your kid is going to receive soon after her/his admission to one such school.
Well, if you are opting for an international school for your child, please check that it shouldn’t be mere ‘recognized’ or ‘affiliated’, but certified. Else, all your 5-star dreams will fall down like a house of cards. Not all international schools in India are certified and many kids are made to reappear for their board exams via CBSE or State Board soon after the discovery of an illegitimate school-certification status.
This, if not sorted out at a very young stage of your child’s admission will simply lead you to end up paying exorbitant school fees for no good. To add more to your surprise, many schools using the tag ‘international’ adhere to 10% to 12% (the rates may vary in different schools) yearly increase in the fees without any prior intimation to the parents. Now, that’s for you to think or decide where have you put your kids to!
(You’ll find proofs of what I’m saying in most of the leading newspapers – Go check it for yourself! ;-))
2. School’s Infrastructure
Aha! This is one more interesting topic to discover as schools may show you their beautiful 5-star appearance in the form of a swimming pool for the kids to make them efficient swimmers; a horse with a chariot (just joking!) but, yes, a horse for horse-riding sessions, a big unique playground with grass-cutting machines, and it looks like the list never ends. Nevertheless, as soon as the fees are dumped into their accounts, where do all these things disappear, god only knows!
My suggestion – better check before it all appears like that dream of yours where you’ve been served by the most gorgeous ladies or handsome men of the town but, the moment you open your eyes, you only see the ceiling leaking upon your feet, the paint of your house-walls slowly dissipating, and loud voice yelling, “Get up and fetch me some vegetables, you lazy stupid clumsy human!” 😉
3. Exorbitant Fees – A Threatening Call!
The fee-date getting closer appears to be that threatening call from a goon who has asked you to pay an unimaginable amount as a ransom to save your own soul. To add more to your taste, fee, if paid in installments, has some interest charged to it. One question – if a parent is so helpless to pay all the fees in one shot and has requested for an installment option, how justifying does it sound to add interest to that already burdening fee amount to the fee-payer(s)? I’m confused! 😉
4. Teachers’ Adamance – Your visit to grave!
The last few cases I heard come from few brilliant names (not to mention here) in our education industry. Math teachers becoming so stringent with the kids to be adapting their question-solving techniques strictly. The teachers (including some language experts) asked the kids to write their answers only word-to-word and also follow their techniques of algebra step-on-step. NO new technique to be used other than the one taught. If not followed this advice, the kids are threatened with some beautiful movie-dialogues (can’t afford to mention here; the kids may be reading this too ;-)).
Now, hang on a second – Do parents send tamed parrots to schools or their human-kids? Aren’t kids allowed to explore their brains and come out with something beautiful on their own? Are such teachers following “Well is the world to me” attitude? Isn’t this a herd mentality? If the answers to all those questions is ‘Yes’, then the only people who need to be blamed for how your kids are progressing are ONLY YOU!
5. Teacher-Student Attrition Ratio & Relationship
Well, many cases have been reported stating kids’ education getting severely affected due to teachers leaving the schools any time. (Teachers have their own reasons to mention and school-authorities have their own excuses). The authorities and the teachers keep arguing to save their own souls but, is anyone thinking about the kids… Oh yes, who thinks about the others in this century unless there’s some profit attached to it! The poor kids also get enough lecture from home on their accord and behavior. What a sigh!
This large-scale attrition has also led to a disruptive relationship of students with their teachers. The moment they start liking one teacher, she is no more to be seen in the next Parent-Teacher Meeting (Of course the reasons followed…). Besides, every new teacher wants her/his techniques to be followed leaving little or no space for the kids to understand the real beauty of the subjects. Gradually, either they start hating their subjects or the teachers and if the things go beyond control, their schools too.
6. Jaw-Dropping Language Skills
I picked up one my students’ books and read it through where I get this jaw-dropping suggestion posted by her teacher: “I didn’t wanted you to write like this???” followed by three question marks. Oh please, let’s forget the grammar part, the kids can barely understand the use of one question mark and adding two more to it further adds to their amusement. A similar one was, “Your kid couldn’t gone through this; please meet us in PTM.” Hush hush! Let’s not talk about the grammar but, how many teachers does the teacher want the parent to meet is my curiosity!
Uh Oh! Here’s another one signaling a war between a teacher with her husband last night: “What the hell are you writing?” Yes, I’ve put that word in red as it is a curse-word 😉
I was once told by someone too close and intelligent that “The best thing a teacher can give a student is ‘P A T I E N C E’. The rest can be gathered by the student on her/his own…” The teachers say, “Look at the teacher-student ratio per class and then talk about patience, you fool.” How to explain this further… I’m sorry (falling short of words here). 😦
There are still many other factors contributing to the poor educational growth of the kids these days and who is to blame — Well, we can still play the blame-game or I leave it to you to take a favorable decision for your kids!
Happy Learning!
Ash
All Learnings Under One Roof 