School hopping: Parents visiting exhibition stalls with their wards

Parents on the lookout for an appropriate school for their children had a chance to interact with the principals of some of the esteemed schools in the country at the 3rd International Premier Schools conference in Calcutta. The India and International Premier Schools Exhibition was organised by Afairs to help parents find that “ideal school of their dreams,” says Sanjeev Bolia, CEO of Afairs, an education fair organiser. The exhibition is touring six cities in India including Calcutta, and began with a conference entitled Building Global Learning Communities through Leadership and Technology. Almost 300 delegates attended from across the country, including principals, teachers and administrators of schools.

The conference discussed the Indian school education scenario in a global perspective with emphasis on learning communities and technology. A.R. Kohli, former governor of Mizoram, was the keynote speaker and delivered a speech on the Challenges of Education in the 21st century.

“The Premier School Exhibition is the biggest scholastic event of its kind in India and offers a ubiquitous interface between schools, parents and service providers,” remarks Bolia. Forty schools from junior to senior level took part in the exhibition in an effort to showcase their institutions. The range of participating schools was wide, ranging from playschools, day schools, residential schools to international schools. “Apart from some of the best schools in the city, we have a presence of schools from as wide afar as Panchgani and Kerala,” claims Bolia.

The fair provided a platform for direct interaction with school representatives to facilitate quick admission decisions without the hassles of postal delays and worries of train reservations. Guidance regarding aspects of different boards of examination was also provided at the exhibition. “We conceived the India and International Schools exhibition as a platform to meet the growing demand for quality education in the face of absence of authentic information about school education,” says Bolia. He adds that the fair is a cost-effective medium to make the right choices.

Dolly Choudhury, primary school teacher of the BD Memorial School in Calcutta, says, “This is an awareness drive and we have participated in such fairs before.” Others stress that they have been able to highlight the inclusion of extra-curricular activities as part of the curriculum. Teachers of the Vidya Sanskar, an international school in Faridabad, highlight the CIE (Cambridge International Examinations) qualifications that the school provides. “Vidya Sanskar is the only school in India that offers this curriculum and we do it exclusively since we want to keep a child attuned to the same style of learning throughout his educational career,” mentions an official of Vidya Sanskar.

New schools were also out to tap students. Sapphire International School in Ranchi is opening shop this year. Ian Hampson, principal, explains, “At our school, we intend to have a teacher as a guide rather than an instructor.” He also voices his opposition to corporal punishment in schools. “At our school there will be no such monstrosity since I believe that hitting a child in any way tantamounts to assault,” he notes. Hampson emphasises that Sapphire International School would focus more on investigation and exploration rather than burden children with rote learning chores that are the bane in so many schools. The school is opening in April and would have arrangements for studying till Class VI.

Parents feel it is important to have an idea of a prospective school before enrolling their wards. “I would like to see what is on offer,” says Madhumita Mondal, a housewife from east Calcutta who is keen on admitting her son to an international school.

“Fairs such as these provide valuable insights into educational institutions which is so necessary since a child is likely to spend several years in one place,” she remarks. “Schools are also increasingly taking into account that a child should ultimately be self-reliant,” she adds.

“I found the fair to be very useful since I want my child to be admitted to an international school soon,” says Subhash Chakrabarti, an entrepreneur who attended the exhibition.

Like many other parents who attended the exhibition, he was relieved that here was a forum that provided a frank discussion on the future of children with the school principals. “It is not always possible to interact with the head of a school but I am glad I could do so in this fair,” he concludes.