Recently, much attention has been focused on the new schools coming up and what kind of education is required for children. The debates in news papers have been varied and very timely.

Should there be interviews for parents and children at the time of admission?

Should the children carry heavy bags to school?

Should young children go through the trauma of examinations at the end of academic year?

Should there be sex education in middle school?

Should there be support and counseling for children with special needs?

Should there be text books?

Should technology take a major role in class room teaching?

Should there be curriculum that is “more” international to respond to the changing global scene?

Should there be much emphasis on English and other foreign languages or should there be equal importance to children’s mother tongue?

I find meeting young seekers (read –parents) who are on a hunt for a “good” school very enlightening and demanding.

Some parents look for very basic, practical solutions that fit with their day to day schedule. 

Do you have good infrastructure and facilities?

Do you have transport facility/

Do you have day-care support for working parents?

Do you get the home work done at school so we don’t have to worry?

Some look for insignificant agendas of education.

Do you teach them how to eat with fork and knife?

Do you admit children from “good “families only?

Do you discourage children from speaking in any other language than English?

Will the children have smart uniform with “neck tie”?

While some look for the essence of education.

Is it child-centric?

Is it qualitative?

Is it more practical and hands- on?

Is it individualized?

Is it futuristic?

Is it balanced in terms of information intensive and activity –oriented?

Is the learning, testing age appropriate and positive?

Is the home work meaningful and learner-driven?

Where is art in the educational landscape?

I am quoting Haim G.Ginott here.

“ My request is : Help your students to become human. Your efforts should never produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths and educated idiots. Reading, writing and arithmetic are important only if they serve to make our children more humane”.

Well!

The answers to all questions I have faced from parents so far are:

All students deserve rich educational experiences that will enable them to become active citizens in a democratic society.

They deserve a challenging and engaging curriculum; a safe, healthy and trusting environment; high quality teachers and administrators who are also continuous learners themselves; climate that supports strong relationships between adults and students.

The school needs to have a welcoming attitude to child’s home language – especially in early years – as means to facilitate the flow of knowledge, ideas and feelings between home and school.

Schools ought to make a choice to go beyond curricular guidelines and mandates to engage them to see vitality in the students

We at The Orchid School understand intuitively that human relationships are at the heart of schooling. Hence we make a sincere attempt to permeate this insight at all levels of education policy making.