[Rotorhead]

Dear all,
I have had a nerve-wrecking time the whole of last week. The reason, my son's admission to nursery and the schools were putting out their lists . Had applied for Bethany, St josephs and frank anthonys.

The list for st josephs and bethany came out earlier and alas to my sheer dissapointment and sadness my son had not got the admissions there. It was finally down to the last one- FAPs indranagar and the list was out on 28th and I made a rather cautious approach to the school with my wifey and I had already lost all hopes since the whole selection criteria in schools seems to be stranger than the mystery of the bermuda triangle and also the fact that there were roughly 700-800 applicants and seats available was only 150.So one can figure out the chances

I didnt have the nerve to read the list, so had to let my wife to do the tough job , and i stayed outside the gate pretending to admire the great architecture of the building opposite the gate. And i hear a shriek and turn around and there was my wife jumping about like a kangaroo, and i stood there a minute just looking at my wife and letting the news to sink in and my world stood still for those moments. And i get a tight hug from my wifey and she said "we made it". And i knew, we have reached the biggest milestones of a parents life. And while the news is sinking in there are a couple of other parents who just walk in and read the list, and there the familiar kangaroo hops and shrieks of victory and we look at the couples and they look at us and we share the nod of congratulation . They have made it too , but there are few others who come and leave as if they have just heard about a great tragedy and the faces succumb to accepting the un-expected. Their child missed the list and my heart cried out to them . The unfairness to the whole thing and the state of the hapless parents makes me really want to go to them and console them, but i know it wont work. This is one wound only time will heal.



Anywz that was my story, and I am sure most parents/ and especially the ones in big cities would have gone thru similar experiences. Please do share you experiences.

On that note, I had done a lot of homework on the schools and most people i spoke to , spoke well about Frank anthonys. But I would like to hear from any of the forum members about this school. I hope I havent bored you all with my tryst with my son's admission, but believe me it is one of the most harrowing and stressful phases of my life. I didnt fret so much when i wrote the board exams or my degree exams, believe me.

please do let me know if you have any inputs on this particular school.

[watashi75]

Wrong section I guess. This section is for a separate kind of "milestone" experiences.

[Rotorhead]

Originally Posted by watashi75

Wrong section I guess. This section is for a separate kind of "milestone" experiences.

watashi..liked the pun in the milestone. yep agree probably this thread should be somewhere else but didnt find the appropriate section.

mods can you let me know the right section for this thread. If this is not part of any of the sections, please delete the thread.

[rm_arjuna]

rotor head : I understand your feelings , since i had to undergo the same last year for my daughter's admission . On the day of her interview i was anxious as if i was to face a NDA interview panel . My heart sank and had a lump in my throat when my daughter started crying when the teacher started her questions. I lost hope and started looking for other school and was relived finally when she secured admission in the same school.

IMO it is very unnerving . have to relive those moments again next year for my son.

[Rotorhead]

Originally Posted by rm_arjuna

rotor head : I understand your feelings , since i had to undergo the same last year for my daughter's admission . On the day of her interview i was anxious as if i was to face a NDA interview panel . My heart sank and had a lump in my throat when my daughter started crying when the teacher started her questions. I lost hope and started looking for other school and was relived finally when she secured admission in the same school.

IMO it is very unnerving . have to relive those moments again next year for my son.

yup its nothing short of an ordeal and can be pretty stressful to the parents. One thing i liked about FAPS is that they had the interview only with the parents and the child was not interviewed. I dont understand the point in interviewing the child. Most kids, even the real naughty ones dont really open up to the strangers so easily and that too in a sticky situation such as being asked questions by an unknown person suddenly, dont really know how the child is going to respond. Anywz I hope things go fine for your son next year. The whole education system is going for a toss in india. The govt emphasizes so much on education but the private institutions have made it such that, children whose parents are from poor or not so literate background can not hope to be educated in such schools. There are criterias in certain schools that both parents need to be working and in some forms i have been asked to fill in my salary details aswell, or whether i own a property in bangalore or not. This is just ridiculous state of affairs.

[deepakhon]

My 3 year 8 month old is in a Montessori now. She will be 5 years 10 months old on June 1st 2011, when she will have to find admission to Grade 1. My wife and I have already started looking out for schools. There are some schools who are insisting that kids should have completed 6 years as on June to procure an admission to Grade 1. My daughter is born on July 30th, and this is making both me and my wife nervous. We are hoping that they consider a 2 month waiver.

I would not mind if the Montessori tells me that she needs to be studying there itself for another year because she needs time to cope up. But, that is not the case, as the teachers are pretty bullish about her. That is why I am worried about this. I do not want my kid to miss out on a year for just two months, as she is good enough to be in Grade 1 around that time.

If I remember correctly, even the Govt mandates at least 5 years 10 months for the kids to be applying for Grade 1.

[vasoo]

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.

This craze for "elite schools" are making the parents running around the city and most of them don't care about the hardship their little ones have to go through if the school is very far. I used to hear a small kid crying loud every morning near my home, who has his bus coming at about 6.45 am for pickup. And his parents believe that the kid is being very stubborn :O

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.

Originally Posted by vasoo

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.

This craze for "elite schools" are making the parents running around the city and most of them don't care about the hardship their little ones have to go through if the school is very far. I used to hear a small kid crying loud every morning near my home, who has his bus coming at about 6.45 am for pickup. And his parents believe that the kid is being very stubborn :O

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.

You make a very valid point. but the fear among most of us parents is that we want the best possible education and oppurtunities for our children, and by not putting them in an "elite" institution, we're putting them at a disadvantage. It might be an irrational fear, but it exists, and it drives us to spend obscene amounts of money on a "branded" education, and forces us to torture our little children with huge commute times.
My elder son s only 18 months old and I'm already dreading the school/nursery admission a few years away. If it was economically viable for me to quit work and school my kids at home, I'd prefer that. Atleast during the primary school period.

[kb100]

We were in the midst of this admissions thing mid last month. That too into the 1st Std and LKG!

We were told that getting admissions into 'Bethany's, the 'Joseph's and the likes is going to be very difficult. Since we live in Coimbatore, and all these schools have different time tables with reg to their admission process, it became impossible to plan - since we were told the child will have to be present as well. This academic year was drawing to a close and we did not want the children to miss too many classes.

So having made up our mind to make a concerted week long effort for admissions, the entire family landed in Bangalore. We came prepared with a long list of schools - some recommended by people in the education field themselves.

What we experienced was in some cases an education and in some cases a revelation of sorts! In some places we got shooed away by the security guard, in some places HUMILIATED (Gear Intl - the SADDEST excuse for a school - more on that later) - and in some places welcomed with arms open! We found that Christian missionary schools are as expensive/cheap as some of the new age schools (...burst a bubble there!) with the advantage/disadvantage of having some 60-70 kids in a class with one teacher.

Our children go to a school with some eclectic teaching methods - a combination of Montessori, transaction analysis, and a few other things - Focus is on all round development and not just on academics - and the kids LOVE IT! They are truly happy to go to school and we wanted to ensure we put them in something similar. So out went the 60-70 children in a class schools ( - the fees wasn't exactly cheap in any case! ) Wife was comfortable with the I'Nagar, K'mla, Sarjapur Rd triangle -therefore we went looking there first. DPS had closed their admissions - but we also found that they had some 15 odd sections in LKG alone!

We went to Gear international - and got humiliated! Despite having gone there with proper recommendations, we (3 pairs of parents and children in tow) we were repeatedly HUMILIATED and spoken so rudely to that we walked out out of the place disgusted! Just thinking about it makes my blood boil so will desist for the moment. I feel sad for the parents who already have their children in that school - there is no way a group of people so bereft of culture and manners can ever be educators! We subsequently discovered facts that told us the school was clearly on its way down - on all parameters- which made us feel strangely thankful! Gear Innovative International School, Off Sarjapur Road, Bangalore | Bangalore Schools

We then went to Greenwood High - good infrastructure but we were warned the fees kept going north every year. We did not consider the other schools in the environs of Greenwood - simply too expensive and with average academics (according to this friend in the Edn business! ). We went to Prakriya - a school very highly recommended for its academics and teaching methods. But BOY were we disappointed - not by their methods, but by the total lack of hygiene in the campus. The grounds were totally dusty - the kind of fine dust that sticks to everything! The children in the lower classes had to sit on the floor - and the floor was covered with this dust! Completely put us off! While returning from this school we saw this statuesque building with manicured football grounds and children of all ages playing football. The board said PRIMUS PUBLIC SCHOOL. It clearly looked like another one of the 'International' schools - and despite protests from my wife we decided to drop in for a look-see. The first thing that hit us was the palpable happiness! The kids there looked like they were enjoying themselves! They were confident and full of beans! They then spend the next hour with us taking us around the school and facilities, we met up and had a very interesting conversation with the key members of the trust. They were clear that they do not believe in 'interview' nonsense! In the meantime the kids were already having a ball on their grounds. All in all a wonderful experience! I don't think there was a moments hesitation - we paid on the spot. And so did another T-BHPian whose children were already going to Greenwood High.

We subsequently had an opportunity to meet a lot of other parents who had pulled their children out of various schools like Ryan Intl, DPS, Greenwood High, Gear, etc and put them here. All of them were clearly more than happy with the school - and that soothed our nerves even more (- there was this feeling that we had rushed head along into it - and maybe we should have seen a few more schools before deciding etc).

Now to find a house or flat within 5 km radius of the school - the closer the better (few joys of being on rent!)! I don't want the children to spend time commuting!

Anyone looking for a school please give this one a visit. It is well worth your time!

PRIMUS - Public School

[binz]

Congrats on your son's admission!

I studied in Faps from the 4th till the 10th.Passed out in 2007 I can say this that the time when i was there, it was THE best co-ed school in town.Superb atmosphere, brilliant teachers and hot chicks 10/11/12th
You won't have a problem until your son gets to senior school,the new principle has tightened a lot of screws at school and the students have sobered down a lot.Faps has truley lost its charm with the ex-principal stepping down.

But don't worry your son is in great hands!

[sanjayatarizona]

Well Rotorhead, Congrats on your son's admission. Probably one of the greatest achievement in one's life, the next being the prospective IIT entrance .

You know what , it's the same dog fight worldover. I had to train my kid on putting together puzzles(we had inside info on the ones available at the desired school), nursery rhymes(again inside info on the preferred ones), hip hop(ok i made that one up ..) to be accepted by the Brit admission incharge(all of this for a 2.5 year old).

At the end of it, just to seal the bargain, i was casually asked to pick up a small voucher as a token of goodwill from a future student. I thought why not and bang, was presented with a voucher for 5K...... Euro()

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

As a would be victim of this travails in next 8-9 months, (and again 4 years later ;-D ) I am a lot concerned.

If my kid needs to write a test to enter LKG, If I need to undergo a "interview" where my "capabality" to help the kid do the homework, why in the world should I send her to a school?I mean, she can read and write, and I am teaching her. Why send her to school at all?

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by vasoo

.

This craze for "elite schools" are making the parents running around the city and most of them don't care about the hardship their little ones have to go through if the school is very far.
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.

I beg to differ in my case. My child started in a montesori which suited her. It was quickly established that she needed a more creative orineted scjhool.

Both my wife and I are Cottonians but the school has become a factory - 80 / class and so many building funds to contribute to

My wife queued at 4.00 am for the Sophia form, and my daughter got in but, although a good school with integrity, we felt it was not for her. They load you up with homework.

We were impressed with Mallya Aditi. Attended the open day and met the staff and admired the infrastrucuture. We applied and my daughter was called for an evaluation. They made it fun, take her to the class, she felt happy and dragged the teacher in . Afterwards they were allowed to play on the play centre (that motivated them!)

Two weks later, us parents were called for a chat and offered admission.

Yes - the fees are hhigh but 30/ class, you get a better teacher concentration and you know were you stand. Only the bus, uniform areextra. We are never hit for donations

Snob factor - there is a huge amount of wealth but a lot of discreet steps have been taken to curb wealth displays etc. I am a poorer parent but never feel awkward. Most of the parents are down to earth and are happy to pop over to dinner and enjoy your hospitality

Distance - routes are planned so that no bus takes more than one hour.A neighbour in the canadian school moved since the bus took 2 hours

Safety - no student can leave without a pass. During the recent play in the evenings, the princi himself supervised the kids going home - no smoozing

i pay more that I should but I get quality, attention, assurance


A friend of ours put his son in Josephs. Poor boy has allergy due to regulation nylon socks but the management will not yield. Poor boy is in agony

[csentil]

Well I tried only two schools. New Horizon in Indira Nagar and Ryan International in Whitefield. Simple reason, school vans came right upto our doorstep to pick up kids.

New Horizon was a big joke. They had some sort of stupid test for my daughter for Mont I. Identify a Red Bell Pepper. Well I had never seen a red Bell Pepper till I came to bangalore and no way my daughter was going to identify it. Next was a long Brinjal, which also has some fancy name. Third was a strawberry (all these were in plastic btw)... My daughter rightfully failed to identify it as well. The teacher then had the nerve to advice my daughter to ask for strawberries. That's when I got so pissed and asked her if she grew up eating strawberries and cream !! So that was that.

Ryan was simple. Walk in, pay donation (30K), pay fees and walk out. Thankfully my daughter enjoys her school and I don't have any problems with the school as well.

[brat001]

well like most of the other parents voicing their concern and apprehensions,we also had a rather harowing time as we were kind of assured a seat in a prominent school in koramangla, and finally found out that the managment were all sharks with mouths wide open " donation" -well there was this so called preferred quota seat racket which was mainly you get in touch with some staff there ,pay 10k, thats only starters.other donations ,admission fee, building fund...etc,sometimes i wonder when these educational institutions will start their very own "directors BMW fund" We got so disgusted we left the place.
finally after pulling some strings and by the grace of god we finally managed to get our daughter into Headstart.Montessori does have some great benifits.