Is Your Child Going To The Right School?
I once heard a parent saying “the best gift I can give my child is good education”. In today’s competitive world, this, indeed, is one of the best gifts. And the first test begins as early as 3 years of child’s age – the dreaded nursery admissions.
When I see long queues of parents for admission forms in every other school, I wonder what they are actually seeking – real quality education or just a school name to be added to the child’s CV. How many of us really evaluate the school and go ahead? If yes, on what basis?
Well, every parent might have a different set of priorities for their younger ones. Since it is an investment for the next 12-14 years of your child’s life, it is advisable to shell out few hours and evaluate the best option.
In addition to the obvious factors such as fee structure and reputation (or rating if you may like to track), the pointers below may help you make your decision really quick.
Location
The first thing that comes to mind when we plan to apply for a school is its distance from home. If sending your child to the best school in your locality costs 2-3 hours commuting time, it does not look like a good deal. Officer-goers could still afford these distances as they don’t have loads of home assignments and activity classes to follow, but seriously, your preschooler? Not a good idea...
Moreover, the school’s location with respect to approachability and security is of great essence. It makes no sense sending your child to an A-grade institute that is surrounded by ghettos.
Infrastructure & Resources
This is one area where all schools as well as parents pay maximum attention. No doubt facilities like wide-spread swimming pool, huge auditorium, Wi-Fi campus, equipped laboratories and well-done cafeteria are imperative for world class education. In addition to these tangible benefits, what one needs to consider is the kind of extra-curricular and co-curricular support provided. When going out to shortlist a school, the kind of questions we should seek to answer are: does the school have proper sports coaching program? What is the number of students per teacher? Are classrooms well-equipped with teaching aids e.g. smart class hardware and software? Is that huge auditorium actually being used for drama practices by students?
Education Format
Playschool is no more a mere place of leaving kids to have fun. Parents see it as the first edification platform. Different schools adopt various methods such as Montessori method (focuses on independence and imagination), playway method (learning through structured activities), Waldorf method (emphasizes on teamwork and group play in home-like environment), academic method (segregates time for work and play). In most Indian preschools, we see a mix of all methodologies for best results. However, our research should not end here, as the further stages of primary and secondary education format plays a pivotal role too. It is distressing that some Indian institutions still support bookish learning and cramming, while some focus on practical knowledge. Hence, with the help of a few discussions with existing parent groups, one can reach the right conclusion in an easy manner. Don’t hesitate to reach out to your neighbours/friend networks and ask for their feedback on teaching style, evaluation pattern, school timings, teaching aids, etc. Primary research is always the most reliable!
Security
This is numero uno issue for any Indian citizen, especially when it comes to their jigar ke tukde. I’ve seen many parents enquiring about CCTV camera set-up in the school vicinity and GPS installed in school vehicles. So transport is taken care of in the form of GPS updates to parents, 3-4 staff members present in school bus and low-floor buses for preschoolers. But how often do we think about the time children spend between dispersal and the vehicle leaving school premises. Where do kids spend this time and under whose vigilance? It’s a matter of hardly half an hour, yet important for parents to know because it is these lapses that allow incidents to happen.
Coming to yet another security aspect that parents might skip – Food. These days, schools emphasize upon using their catering service instead of sending kids with packed tiffins and parents do not object when authorities quote it as “compulsory” to encourage good eating habits among younger students. It is indeed a good practice. However, as parents, how many of us insist on visiting the school kitchen to ensure quality and hygiene are being delivered to our children. After all it is a matter of their health and it is our right to ensure this aspect of security.
No question is a dumb question when it comes to welfare of the apple of our eyes.
