Thursday, January 10, 2013

Mission Admission - Nightmare or a Joke


"We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today." - Stacia Tauscher

The world today cares so much about abolishing child labor, but do that particular world has any clue what a child has to go through to get into a private school in India.

The extended part of our family and friends in the United States prides in sending their children to government (read public) schools and then these children turn out to be big names in their field of work, which is brilliant. Well, thank your stars that you are able to get your child into “A School.”

The trend in India for getting a child admission to Kindergarten has been and continues to be based solely on his performance in an interview/or a series of interviews. Recently legal bodies have banned these interviews, but it never stopped the schools from taking adult-like interviews. They now use the word interaction. Clever replacement indeed!

For some families their entire domestic life had come to center around their child’s admission tests. While others put off all vacations and even social life. Some start preparing their child as early as 19 months. Yes, my neighbor’s son could spell C-A-T before he actually gave up bottle-feeding. The Tiny little beings who are still in awe about the environment around can hardly behave like a child. Incredible and fully correct English Vocabulary with a phenomenal personality is expected. Some schools can actually figure out that a 2+ child has the ability to think out of the box.

One 2+ child actually juggles between attending his preschool in the mornings, to tuitions in the afternoon with a never ending list of things he should learn in order to secure admission. Readymade things ka zamana hai bhai – Schools ko bhi readymade bachche chahiye hai.

Nursery school admission has been an important issue in the recent times.  Kids as small as 2+ are expected to know numbers, sight words, retell stories, shapes, colors, see and read etc. I was in for a surprise when I got to know that some parents actually paid additional astronomical amounts in private tuition to prepare their children for entrance into K.
Google Busy Doing His Homework

My friends you paid less amount to prepare for JEE and GRE. Trust me on this you did!

Being a childhood educator myself, I am aware that The National Scientific Council on Developing Children (2005) emphases on development of core features including emotional development and should be able to identify and understand one’s own feelings. The child should be able to read and comprehend emotional states in others and able to manage strong emotions in a constructive manner.

I have a feeling that all the social unrest in our country has a very deep connection with all this. I understand why so many Indian lack the ability of motivational qualities and socio-emotional skills. Thanks to the unhealthy competitiveness exhibited in everything they do. 

Today India is trying to fight infinite accusations, and you feel corruption in every single transaction from the bottom of the chain to the top. Although many GREAT minds have suggested solutions including population control to lesser competition and effective control of people and government processes. However, how many actually thought of imparting good morals from the early days.

As parents (also read guardians), we are all educators and let us not forget to see the world through the eyes of the child. It is truly amazing when they slow down to spot a caterpillar move. Provide the child with a large amount of freedom and small amount of direction, to excite their growing minds.


"In early childhood you may lay the foundation of poverty or riches, industry of idleness, good or evil, by the habits to which you train your children. Teach them right habits then, and their future life is safe.” - Lydia Sigourney.  

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