“I want to know if this is the right school for my child,” says Vijay Gupta, opening the floodgates for a discussion about education at Shri Ram School. Queries follow thick fast: What teaching methods are used? Is there a high staff turnover? Can you tell me about the forums of exchange between parents and teachers?
Over the next hour and half, principal Manika Sharma leads 27 parents of pre-school hopefuls in a group interaction in the school’s pavilion. Unlike the one-on-one interactions at other schools, parents find themselves engaging in a dialogue here — both with the principal, and with each other.
Before too long, they are swapping nursery horror stories: filling in registration forms until 2.30 am, taking days off work to attend interactions, and, worse, the fear of failing to secure their child a seat.
“I spent less than five minutes at Modern School-Vasant Vihar,” says a mother who does on not want to be named. “They asked if I or my husband were alumni, and whether we had other children at the school. When we said no to both, the interaction was over.”
Her experience was far from unique, and catalyses similar recollections from others in the circle.
Soon enough, the focus moves from admissions to the latest Bollywood blockbuster ‘Taare Zameen Par’, which parents use to explore what makes a good teacher and a happy child. A little later, the topic shifts to children watching television. “You can’t cut TV out,” Sharma says, “but it should be rationed.”
Another parent, a doctor, mentions the importance of audio-visual skills to a child’s development.
After the interaction, each parent is positive about the group experience. “It’s a welcome, non-intimidating atmosphere, which makes a change,” says Amit Kharabanda. “We had an opportunity to ask questions, unlike the grilling in other interactions.”
But on its first day, the process has a few critics, with some parents waiting for their turn even at 10 pm. “No system comes without glitches,” principal Manika Sharma says. “But we didn’t want to set a time constraint on parents’ questions. On the first day we overran, but thereafter allocated longer periods per group.”
Parents enjoyed the circle dynamic but are also aware that the interaction is an assessment — it carries 20 out of a maximum 80 application points. The school has registered over 1,500 children for pre-school admissions. But with only 72 seats on offer, many will be disappointed. For now, they take away a positive experience, few and far between in the pre-school admissions process.