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Old 30th March 2009, 23:56   #16
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Congrats, rotorhead!

I am an alumni of FAPS,and would definitely recommend the school to everyone. I wasn't the studious kind, but I managed to get through and I have loved every moment I had in the school. I completed my 10th almost 12 years ago, and I have heard that the standard of the school went down 5-6 years ago.But recently,I was told that things have improved once again.
Trust me, your child will have a wonderful experience studying in FAPS. Its got a superb mix of sports & studies, and I'm sure your child will turn out just fine.

Good luck!
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Old 2nd April 2009, 15:52   #17
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Thanks nitin, it is really reassuring to hear such good words about the school from an alumini. One thing i have heard and liked is the fact that this particular school not only focuses on acadamecis but also sports and other extra curricular activities. I had already made up my mind that i didnt want my son to turn out to be genious, i just wanted him to also have some fun while studying. Again I very much liked the concept that this particular school didnt want to interview the child, and the parents interview also very pleasant and the principal and his associate were really courteous and the questions lingered basically on the parents background and nothing much. No tricky questions whatsover about where one works, or how much salary one gets and stuff. Speaks volumes about the administration. Also someone mentioned to me that this particular school doesnt overburden the child with too much of homework which is pretty nice.

Going by the rest of the post by other members, seems like this whole process of school admissions is getting murkier as the days go by. I have heard of certain schools that specify only reeboks for the games sessions, and nothing less will suffice. How ridiculous can it get. My senior in my office mentioned about this particular school (supposedly one of the best)where he had to get a approval letter from the principal to let his girl to wear some other shoes, since his daughter was really small built and the smallest of reebok wouldnt fit her. Boy o boy the whole education system is going down the drain by the day. Just to come to think of it, i studied in the central school with fees of 45 bucks for 3 months, and the first time I wore a reebok (or rather an addidas) was after my 10th standard.
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Old 2nd April 2009, 21:53   #18
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I enjoyed reading the agony of harrassed parents while getting their ward admitted in an educational institution. Don't mistake me for using the word enjoyed as it is not for the travails of the parents who went through the ordeal.

We as parents went through all this many many years ago - Son was out of school last year after 12th and daughter is likely to go to 10th after the results of 9th are announced.

Here in Delhi/NCR it is almost like an industry and if you have ample land and money to invest in a building, open a school. As long as we Indians strive to be the 2nd most populous country in the world, a school owner will never starve; recession be damned..

Congrats to all parents to have got their child into a school of their liking. The first of the toughest hurdle is crossed..
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Old 2nd April 2009, 22:19   #19
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So true, rotohead. FAPS is one place that makes it a point to deliver the 'all round development' of a child. I was never the studious kind,but I turned our just fine ( or so I think. ).

If there's anything you could advice your child,that would be this: be careful in the kind of friends your child chooses.I say this because there will be this one odd kid who belongs to a rich family,and the arrogance begins to show at a very young age.I've seen this happen with my seniors and juniors.Just a word of caution,thats all. I know this happens everywhere,but I can atleast vouch for FAPS.

Just curious,who is the Principal now? Is it Mr. Fernandes? I heard that Mr. Brown (probably 'the' most poplular individual in FAPS,for the past 20 years) moved to Delhi.
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Old 3rd April 2009, 00:07   #20
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''Both my wife and I are Cottonians but the school has become a factory - 80 / class and so many building funds to contribute to''

but when a child passes out of cottons, he is of a way better quality, than the other school kids..

hopu u cottonians agree with me
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Old 3rd April 2009, 11:21   #21
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My experience of not one but two admissions

I have two kids, my daughter is studying her LKG while my son would get into LKG next year. I took a conscious call that I would move to Chennai in 2007 from Bangalore so that I dont get caught out. The odds are stacked too high against the parents in Bangalore because of the limited number of good schools.

My in laws were staying in Padi, which meant I move into the same locality for practical reasons. This meant that I had a chance in applying to the likes of DAV(Mogappair), Chinmaya Vidhyala, Bhavan's & SBIOA though I had decent options in and around Anna Nagar / Mogappair. Certainly I would not have had so many options in Bangalore.

Experience 1 - Daughter
We had applied for LKG for our daughter in Bhavan's Chinmaya and finally DAV. We had pretty much decided on a co-ed school as it would allow us to get easier admission for my son on the basis of her sister studying in the same school, as most schools in Chennai give priority to Siblings.

Both Bhavan's & Chinmaya had a sort of test for the kid (similar to the one mentioned by Senthil), my kid did well in both the occasions though we were not confident in the case of Bhavan's because the distance was about 6 kms and the school was giving priority to kids within 5 kms range. When the admissions were put up, it was no wonder we did not get

In the case of Chinmaya we were confident because my kid not only did very well but also spoke for some time with the teachers in addition to a long discussion the principal had with me about my work and the various magazines we publish etc.

When the admissions were put up we were shocked to see her name not in the list, the twist in the tale was her form no. was mentioned but against a different kid. Typically the list is put out at around 5 in the evening so that there is no staff to answer any queries on the admissions. When we tried to raise this to the office staff the next day they were not receptive, we were told the Principal is not expected to come to the school as well.

Despite being told we decided to wait for the principal after a wait till the evening we finally managed to meet the principal, and explained to her the error in the admission list. Our only request to her was to check how did they rank the two kids, if our daughter had not been ranked well we will accept it and look for admissions elsewhere, if she had done well dont penalise her. Despite a high-pressure situation she agreed to our request that she will check it out and if our daughter deserves the seat she would get it. But this would happen the next day morning once the admin staff come back.

So our ordeal continued for the 2nd night not knowing whether we would get admission or not. The next day morning we were back at school. Only one issue now was the parent of the other teacher had not only collected the challans but also paid the fees in the interveaning period. Once the admin staff knew this, they went slow on trying to find out the ranks from the assesements, after waiting till lunch we once again raised the issue with the principal who decided to settle it with immediate effect. The assessment sheets were brought back to the principal who checked them out.

After about half an hour she called us in to explain that indeed there was an error and my daughter would get her admissions, since the other parent had already paid the fees, nothing would be done to them, effectively meaning they had to add my daughter's name seperately to the admissions. With an explanation that they cant afford to add a new name to the list as it would give rise to unnecessary suspicions but a firm promise that we will get a call in the next couple of days to collect the fees challan.

We did get a call 2 days later to come and pay the fees. Hats off to the principal who decided to take the road not taken rather than opting for the easier way out of Shooing us away when we wanted to raise the issue.

Experience 2 - Son
This year when time came for admissions the pressure was less on us because we were confident that my son would get admitted in Chinmaya Vidyala because of our daughter studying there, numerous interactions with other parents also re-iterated the same understanding of not much of issues in admission because of siblings. This meant we had applied only to Chinmaya initially, as we were happy with our daughter's progress along with the values being taught in the school, for some one who is from a traditional Tambrahm (Tamil Brahmin) family it meant a lot.

With my son not being as smart as my daughter vocally (he started speaking a few words / sentences only as late as Sept. 08 - the admission process was happening in Dec. 08) we had a small fear for him though the overwhelming feeling was we were not tense. Come the DDay our son did decently well though he missed out on identifying orange colour, he was pretty weak in colours then anyways, we were fairly confident of not having any issues because the panel who interacted with us indicated of Siblings hence the need to be treated differently.

After a week of waiting when the list was put up, our son's name was missing, the sky came crashing down. With thoughts of logistical issues of maintaining two schools, two different vacations, two differet timings etc coming to mind it was becoming a nightmare as usual the list was put up at 5 in the evening on the last day the school closed for vacation.

The next day history repeats itself, we go to the school to meet the principal only to be told she would not be available for the next couple of days. And when we did meet her (though not the same principal as last year) she expressed her views of not possible to accomodate all siblings and the results are on the basis of merit - imagine merit being talked of for 3 year olds. Our only possibility is if there are any drop outs we would get priority as siblings.

But we would know of this only after the vacations which meant 2 weeks of pain and tension. Despite being told this, my wife continued to go to the school every day for the next week or so until the principal went for vacation. After almost 3 weeks of this ordeal continuing finally we were called to come and collect the fees challan confirming his admission, which was possibly rewards for the daily penance which my wife did in front of the principal's room.

In our case Lighting struck the same way twice - this is an ordeal which I wish not to go through again.

Sorry for the long post..
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Old 3rd April 2009, 13:18   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nitin View Post
So true, rotohead. FAPS is one place that makes it a point to deliver the 'all round development' of a child. I was never the studious kind,but I turned our just fine ( or so I think. ).

If there's anything you could advice your child,that would be this: be careful in the kind of friends your child chooses.I say this because there will be this one odd kid who belongs to a rich family,and the arrogance begins to show at a very young age.I've seen this happen with my seniors and juniors.Just a word of caution,thats all. I know this happens everywhere,but I can atleast vouch for FAPS.

Just curious,who is the Principal now? Is it Mr. Fernandes? I heard that Mr. Brown (probably 'the' most poplular individual in FAPS,for the past 20 years) moved to Delhi.
Mr.Brown is the one we met. He is still with FAPS , but heard this is his last year with FAPS bangalore. A very soft spoken gentleman. The next one to replace him is rumoured to be really strict, dont recall the name though.
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Old 3rd April 2009, 16:16   #23
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Omg

OMG

All you married folks with children are scaring us unmarried folks who will be getting married in a year or two. I can clearly see where all my savings in the future will be going!!! Then I would be saying deja-vu.
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Old 3rd April 2009, 17:05   #24
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Originally Posted by vasoo View Post
For my daughter, I applied to the nearest 3 schools to my home and managed to get in the closest among them. I don't care about brands. I know what she is capable of and what she will learn. I have studied in an "unbranded" school in state syllabus and know very well that if one is capable, he/she will do well.

The schools are promptly milking all these parents by charging fees equivalent to or more than a professional graduate/PG school fee. Average annual fees in a "decent school" is about Rs75k here. It goes up to 5 lacs in some cases. Above all, some have increased the fees by up to 50% for next year.
This is one of the most argued topic between wife and me. While I argue that our daughter will do well inspite of school, deep inside I know that a good school really matters. Take my case- I studied in state board till 10th and got good marks. So for 11th I went to this hi-fi school in Chennai and I found it so difficult to cope up. All the topics of 11th were already covered for the matric guys in 10th itself and the lab sessions were a cake-walk for them while I was seeing the salts and pippete and burettes for the 1st time. It is a different story that I got distracted after that and could not liveup to my potential till I joined my MBA. Today I am working in a MNC as a Program Manager which was possible through hard work and dedication BUT I know that I would have achieved much more if I had bettered my skills in school. Some of you might disagree when I say this - If I had got better english language skills/knowledge it would have helped me much more in my growth.

I am sure many of the parents are in the same boat - All we want to do is to provide the best possible education for our sons and daughters. The schools are exploiting this are charging those never heard of fees (my engineering degree cost me less than the one year fees of a LKG kid now).

I am clear on one thing - I would consider myself a successful father if my daughter can express herself freely without fear, chooses & does what she want to do in life passionately and becomes a good human being.

MY daughter is 2.5 years old now and we are doing the rounds to put her in a Montessori school for one year till she can be put in LKG in a regular school. I will write about my ordeal next year.

Cheers,
Thiyags

Last edited by thiyags22 : 3rd April 2009 at 17:08. Reason: Add info
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Old 3rd April 2009, 18:00   #25
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Originally Posted by kkr2k2 View Post
OMG

All you married folks with children are scaring us unmarried folks who will be getting married in a year or two. I can clearly see where all my savings in the future will be going!!! Then I would be saying deja-vu.
Its true my friend. Education has also become a liablity now. Your really need to plan our your finances if your child gets into any of the good schools. There are certain schools that have 10-15% raise in the fee structure every passing year. Most big schools in bangalore start of in the range of 30-60 thousands a year as school fee and apart from that various other expenses that you can not imagine. Also if you have a child who would be shortly put into the school , then you need to start planning atleast a year ahead and identify the school/schools you wish to try and then plan financially to cough up the donations, which in most cases will be upwards of 50 K and can go upto 1.2 lacs..

Last edited by Rotorhead : 3rd April 2009 at 18:02.
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Old 3rd April 2009, 18:19   #26
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Originally Posted by Rotorhead View Post
Its true my friend. Education has also become a liablity now. Your really need to plan our your finances if your child gets into any of the good schools. There are certain schools that have 10-15% raise in the fee structure every passing year. Most big schools in bangalore start of in the range of 30-60 thousands a year as school fee and apart from that various other expenses that you can not imagine. Also if you have a child who would be shortly put into the school , then you need to start planning atleast a year ahead and identify the school/schools you wish to try and then plan financially to cough up the donations, which in most cases will be upwards of 50 K and can go upto 1.2 lacs..
I am not married yet(I will be getting married in a year), but looking at the financial implications, I think I should include a portion for that too in my savings(no matter how much smaller it may be as of now). I think there goes my dream car(w124) down the drain as those figures will be very high may be tripled or quadrupled by then.

Last edited by kkr2k2 : 3rd April 2009 at 18:20.
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Old 3rd April 2009, 20:38   #27
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Iam not a big believer of reputed schools for kids, which many believe that it will make their kids leagues ahead, when compared to others from an average one or not so famous school. There might be a difference, but that can be compensated with the way we train those kids, when they spent time at home. My preference would for a montessori where people don't rush and wait as if "god" is going to teach their kids.

Many smart people have understood the opportunities in this business and milking money.

ps: My wife is dead against my thoughts
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Old 3rd April 2009, 21:20   #28
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And do keep in mind ye all yet to be married or married and yet to have a progeny, that apart from the process of getting an admission in a school, you shall be eventually staring down the pipe to tuitons, extra classes, paid tutorials, coaching centres as the boards get nearer etc...

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I am not married yet(I will be getting married in a year), but looking at the financial implications, I think I should include a portion for that too in my savings(no matter how much smaller it may be as of now). I think there goes my dream car(w124) down the drain as those figures will be very high may be tripled or quadrupled by then.
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Old 3rd April 2009, 21:21   #29
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And take it from me, that is her wish and only her wish that shall prevail...

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Iam not a big believer of reputed schools for kids, which many believe that it will make their kids leagues ahead, when compared to others from an average one or not so famous school. There might be a difference, but that can be compensated with the way we train those kids, when they spent time at home. My preference would for a montessori where people don't rush and wait as if "god" is going to teach their kids.

Many smart people have understood the opportunities in this business and milking money.

ps: My wife is dead against my thoughts
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Old 3rd April 2009, 21:28   #30
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Originally Posted by Surprise View Post
Iam not a big believer of reputed schools for kids, which many believe that it will make their kids leagues ahead, when compared to others from an average one or not so famous school. There might be a difference, but that can be compensated with the way we train those kids, when they spent time at home. My preference would for a montessori where people don't rush and wait as if "god" is going to teach their kids.

Many smart people have understood the opportunities in this business and milking money.

ps: My wife is dead against my thoughts
Thats true.To an extent the school environment makes a difference. But it all comes down to how to train your children, and what qualities you inculcate in them.
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