Many of these schools aim to tailor the teaching to the requirements of the individual child, without attempting to impose a uniform and competitive course of study.
As the season for school admissions begins, parents with children of the age of admission are under great stress — there is a highly skewed demand-and-supply situation, with demand far outweighing the number of seats available for the four-year-olds.
While many parents are conservative in their choice of school, the problem might have been overcome if more parents considered “alternative” schools available in Bangalore.
Many of these schools aim to tailor the teaching to the requirements of the individual child, without attempting to impose a uniform and competitive course of study.
“Out of every 10 parents in the city, only two might choose an alternative school over the traditional school. Even many of the parents who admit children to alternative schools later pull them out and get them into regular schools. It appears that it will be some while before the concept gains full acceptance in our country,” said Gayathri Mukund, principal of Different Strokes, an alternative school in Sahakarnagar that shut down last year as there were few takers.
There are, though, some parents keen on a sound and holistic education for the child, and willing to try the alternative stream: “We decided that we will not send our child to a school which makes her carry a bag weighing 20kgs and sets her endless homework. I have not bought any forms so far from any school, but I am researching the alternative schools. I need a school that kindles the child’s natural curiosity,” said Roma Chakravarthi, a parent.
In the main, though, parents are wary of choosing something unconventional. The academic career of the child, after all, is likely to greatly influence the life prospects available later. “As a parent, you make choices for your child. I got my son admitted to one of the most prestigious schools in Bangalore, knowing that it will help in future. I am not against alternative education, but I would only consider it for my child if he is not able to withstand the pressure of a regular education,” said Abhirupa Majumdar, a parent.
“I somehow cannot relate to the alternative system of education; my son should not be confined to books and homework, but he should have a sound academic foundation. Only a regular school can provide that,” says Gokul Raghavan, a parent who has applied at several leading schools in Bangalore.
“Our aim is to deliver quality education, so it does not matter that we do not have a large number of applicants. We aim at giving each child enough attention. We encourage parents to visit the school before admitting children." said Shashidar S, teacher, CFL, an alternative school started by a group interested in the educational philosophy of J Krishnamurti.
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