Every year, Urban India witnesses a mad-rush during the school admission season. Some of the parents even try to get their toddlers admitted to secure their future. The demand-supply gap is huge enough for some schools to subject to unlawful rent-seeking. Unfortunately, it is we the Parents who trigger this mad-rush and unlawful activities around school admission.
In the Urban School System, the customers are the educated middle class who has the deep desire to establish their identity and secure a suitable position in the society. Studying in a good school is a passport to secure the same. If we look inside some of these schools, we observe that they are not doing anyhing extra but to train the children for higher education - engineering, medical, management etc. which again is regarded as a path to success or I say path to employment. Many families get contended, complacent with the “employed” tag and regard themselves as achievers. Switching jobs, switching salaries and retiring with a home, car and a bank balance are trademarked as “Success”. All of it starts with an admission in a good school.
Now, the question arises as to how do we define a good school? Is a good school defined by making the children achieve high percentile in a rote learning based test or are should there be other indicators in identifying a good school?
Shouldn’t we look at a school from a child’s eye than an adult eye? Our children need all the things which an adult mind needs e.g. they need freedom of expression, freedom to explore, freedom to choose, treatment of equality etc. Nobody prefers a regimented lifestyle, a set day to day activity, learning things which are archaic with no relevance to our lives, then why do we subject our children to the same? Some parents may argue that they themselves have undergone through the same system and therefore there is no problem, however I would like to argue that do we want to give the same society as present to our children or do we want them to create a better one for themselves? The colonial rule which established the education systems in India have themselves changed and moved ahead but unfortunately we are still attempting to prove our excellence in the same cocoon.
Once the parents start adopting the methodology which recognizes the rights of children, gives them the freedom and allows them to construct knowledge, the pressure on schools would increase to become more outcome than output oriented. This would lead to all schools driving towards excellence and parity amongst themselves. More choice between schools would release the demand pressure and end rent-seeking by the few so called “prestigious” schools.
If, We the Parents want to ensure a better society to our children than today; which is not trademarked with materialism but trademarked with intellectual capital, constructive group behaviour, growth oriented nationalism, we would have to unleash our children’s energies not by regimenting them to an order but by giving them the freedom to fathom the depth of knowledge on their own and having faith in their decisions. The mad-rush around schools would automatically go away.
In the Urban School System, the customers are the educated middle class who has the deep desire to establish their identity and secure a suitable position in the society. Studying in a good school is a passport to secure the same. If we look inside some of these schools, we observe that they are not doing anyhing extra but to train the children for higher education - engineering, medical, management etc. which again is regarded as a path to success or I say path to employment. Many families get contended, complacent with the “employed” tag and regard themselves as achievers. Switching jobs, switching salaries and retiring with a home, car and a bank balance are trademarked as “Success”. All of it starts with an admission in a good school.
Now, the question arises as to how do we define a good school? Is a good school defined by making the children achieve high percentile in a rote learning based test or are should there be other indicators in identifying a good school?
Shouldn’t we look at a school from a child’s eye than an adult eye? Our children need all the things which an adult mind needs e.g. they need freedom of expression, freedom to explore, freedom to choose, treatment of equality etc. Nobody prefers a regimented lifestyle, a set day to day activity, learning things which are archaic with no relevance to our lives, then why do we subject our children to the same? Some parents may argue that they themselves have undergone through the same system and therefore there is no problem, however I would like to argue that do we want to give the same society as present to our children or do we want them to create a better one for themselves? The colonial rule which established the education systems in India have themselves changed and moved ahead but unfortunately we are still attempting to prove our excellence in the same cocoon.
Once the parents start adopting the methodology which recognizes the rights of children, gives them the freedom and allows them to construct knowledge, the pressure on schools would increase to become more outcome than output oriented. This would lead to all schools driving towards excellence and parity amongst themselves. More choice between schools would release the demand pressure and end rent-seeking by the few so called “prestigious” schools.
If, We the Parents want to ensure a better society to our children than today; which is not trademarked with materialism but trademarked with intellectual capital, constructive group behaviour, growth oriented nationalism, we would have to unleash our children’s energies not by regimenting them to an order but by giving them the freedom to fathom the depth of knowledge on their own and having faith in their decisions. The mad-rush around schools would automatically go away.
4 comments:
well, let us start thinking this in a little different way. not just the kids start learning the parents have to learn too, cause in making a new human we have to first be able to walk that path. i am doing that, by sending my son to an anonymous school which has broken away from the traditional model. i have adopted the freedom of choice and have given him his. as of today he doesnt get intimidated by those from big schools or from regimented background. the start was difficult for us parents, the first step was the biggest decision and the only learners were us, i feel that today. but for my son it has been a fun journey and an above average learning curve. it defn is all about parents these days rather than the children. have more faith in your own selves, and if the regimented regime has done any good then use that good in using your grey cells and assessing those not so traditional opportunities. dont stay a beggar. if the parents become the choosers so will our kids be. get options for your self and let the child have options.
at the age of 3 i had shown my son two different sets of schools. he chose the modern school. and he now believes he is there to make a difference. give your children the freedom. its there, we just have to be more open to see it.
It is all about brand and a please-notice-me syndrome. Why only school......it is also to do how do u colour your hair, how you dress up, what car do u own, what is the brand of TV you own. This is just a b-product of consumerism and mine-is-bigger-than-yours attitude from which we all suffer. Thought prvoking blog.
I fully agree that the rote system of learning only conditions the child's brain and thought process. If we want to foster our children to learn, think and aim for the horizons they need to break this chain of conditioned mind and let loose their creativity and unleash their inherent magnanimous potential. Infact traditional schools in india only focus on individual competitiveness, restrictive study of prescribed syllabus without any approach to exploring the world of knowledge and information outside the textbooks which court marshall a child inquisitiveness and curiosity. Unfortunately in traditional indian schools there is no room for group activity except the physical education class or occassional curricular activities. Even here children face the pressure of competition - is the pschye of parents or tons of people to compete with that dilute the whole experience of healthy competition and growth of a global citizen. Paradoxical to this, there exists a collective culture in India which prophecies to live, work and operate as a group member, society member! My myth about Indian schooling system being better than the North American system is shattered in the last two years of my stay in India. I can now appreciate the philosophy of education and schooling system illustrated and imbibed in Canada public education system.
Saurabh,
The issues you have highlighted are very real. As a parent I am currently struggling with all these. You are also very correct when you say that we as parents are actually encouraging this trend. I have had discussions with many parents in the last one month since my own child and I started struggling with the school he has joined. Finding fewer option in a location like "Dwarka" and constrained with "budget limits" we were not sure how to go about it? Parents discussions, school visits made us realise that not only our exposure has made us aware about the alternatives but it has entirely changed our paradigm towards education and schools. However our small constituency makes us marginalised as most parents make you feel "you are the problem" an not the school...this is the way schools have been going on...this is the way have learnt...and this is the way our chidlren would also learn. Mind you parents are also stuck with indictaors like high percentage, good eng ,top credits in all extra curricular. One parent told me what do you expect with eductaion ...only a good degree from a branded business school and this is how they would learn that not by being "free in their thoughts"...
However this has not stopped me from searching alternatives and answers for my son...though right now nothing seems to work out due to our own issues. Would look forward to some suggestions where we can try out something for him near Dwarka...Tarang you can also send me your suggestion if its working out for your kid..i would love to explore it
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