Schools in Ferozepur

Sharmscharms

I am not exactly sure where to put this post, but I would like to ask if anyone has ever sent their children to stay with relatives in India and go to a day school as opposed to sending to children to a boarding school. What was your experience? Is there a reason why more people don't do it this way? We want to send our two oldest to India to school in Ferozepur and have heard that there are a couple of decent day schools there. The boarding schools in India just seem like they are getting too expensive as more and more NRI's are sending their kids back home to school. Not only that, but I feel that kids could learn culture and language easier by not being in a boarding school. I am looking for advice, opionions, and comments for my situation. Also, how should I prepare my sons for travel there, what do they need to take with them. Has anyone ever sent their children unaccompanied on a flight to India? Thanks for your feedback.

capt_mahajan

If your kids are brought up in urban or suburban USA, they are not going to be happy in Ferozpur.

Have they (or you) stayed there long enough and recently, I wonder.

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Outside the machine

edwardseco

Just had a student do this with her kids. Now they like it better than the ancestral village (no electricity gao may)..

shere

I know relatives who have done this but eventually they opted for schools in Dehra Doon.

There are very few schools with a decent teaching standard in Punjab. My relative initially opted for some highly regarded English medium school (boarding) near Jullundur. The kids english delivery went seriously downhill and they had trouble pronouncing W etc.

Having spoken to the teachers I could see why the English went downhill, the teachers were not brilliant with their English themselves which in an English medium school is not a very good thing.

The move to Dehra Doon has improved things and they are doing quite well. It is a bit out the way but worth it for a good education.

Jullundur has a huge NRI population so there are lots of schools, I doubt Ferozepur will have as much choice. If you are not concerned about quality education you will find lots of schools in Punjab. If you want quality then try Dalhousie, Sanwar (near Kasauli) or Doon, Welham etc in Dehra Doon.

If you want to stay closer to Punjab then try www.dpsbadhani.com or www.dpsdalhousie.com . If it is an English medium school then insist on speaking to the teachers as you need to gauge their level of English.

Also the fee for NRI children is usually higher, get OIC for the kids (may even work with a PIO card) and you can avail the fee for local kids.

The Punjabi ideal of a good school is different to what many others consider a good school. I have relatives who sent their kids to a specific boarding school because the food was really good. Others sent their kids to schools with strong religious link (again education is very poor considering the school is english medium). Others will look at an impressive building and tell you it is a really good school. Look at things for yourself before you jepordise your kids education on the basis of what relatives etc suggest.

Sharmscharms

Aside from the English pronunciation, arent the schools in India better at math and science? I think I would rather have my kids mispronounce a few "w's" now and this can easily be corrected than to miss out on what we would feel would be an overall better education. I do agree with you on the whole checking things out for myself first suggestion. And to Capt. Mahajan, what are some specific reasons why you think my children would not be happy. I understand that it will be a definite culture shock. We have tried to prepare them with this as much as possible. Are you saying that the children will not be happy in Punjab or in India in general. Thanks.

shere

Welham, Doon, Sanwar and most schools in DD teach excellent English pronounciation. come down to Punjab and you notice poor pronounciation.

Education makes a big difference in life. Check out the alumni for some of these schools and you can see for yourself the standard of pupils form these schools.

Its up to you at the end of the day, but I would rather my kids went to a decent boarding school in Dehra Doon than some upstart school with a great looking building but poor academic standards.

A relative has kids that go to a school run by a religious trust.The fees are the highest in the area and he thinks they are getting a great education (he failed in 10th). His perception of good is impaired due to him not having an understanding of what quality education really is in India. When you speak to the children you can see for yourself that this school is just daylight robbery as their proficiency in many subjects is not that good. Again it is english medium yet their english is poor.

capt_mahajan

I am talking from having seen relatives do this- the first time in around 1985.

Culture shock is what a visitor gets. Living in a different culture (if indeed, they have been brought up abroad) is a different ball game.

And though this is not a comment on your relatives or kids, living with relatives long term is easier said than done, generally speaking.


My kids have been brought up in big city India. They would rebel at Ferozepur, going to school and living with relatives there long term.

shere

I second what you say about living with relatives. Its ok for a short holiday but they soon start nitpicking everything you do and trying to get rid of you if you outstay your welcome.

Everyone will say the usual the kids can stay with us and do education here. Reality is very different, even minor mistakes by your kids will become a major event in the house. The kids will feel like $hit and isolated, this is not good for kids.

Sharmscharms

Capt. Mahajan, may I use a quote (and I think it fits here to this discussion) that you posted a couple of years back in another forum?

I know somebody who is dissatisfied with GD Goenka because his child is getting spoilt there. to some extent, some of these fancy schools are as out of touch with india as the british or american schools. they may be selling infrastructure, not education. also, some of them cater mainly to the very rich.

the minus of a "local" education vs the american school type will be the additional academic pressure of study, which, frankly, a student from the US may find hard to cope with. also, if it is short term, the academics may not be too relevant to the us. (however, a little academic pressure may be good for the soul)

the plus of this same education will be a more real experience of another country, which is probably as valuable as academics.

the only reason i dont out and out suggest "normal" schools vs "american" types is because i believe there is too much stress on rote learning and academics there. but i would definitely suggest a good look at them.

I understand what the others are saying about Dehradun and nice boarding schools and language and all. I have seen there are achievers in Punjab schools just as there are in any other school in India, just by looking at some of the websites. Depending on the attitude of the child, even if they are put in the most prestigious school in India, can make it a positive or negative experience. Is education really poorer in Punjab than elsewhere in India? Where are some statistics I can look at? We want our children to not only have an education, but to experience the culture of another country. How can they do this in some ritzy boarding school that caters to the rich?

To Shere- thanks for the advice about the relatives. Do you have personal experience with a situation like this?

capt_mahajan

All depends on what you want from education.

I am not saying that we got all we were looking for with our kids schools- far from it- but my definition of a good school would be one which was cosmopolitan in the true sense of the word (in religion, ethnicity and social and economic diversity), taught decently but wasn't overly fussed with academics- or results-, and, most importantly, taught children how to think, not what to think.


And since we could not find such a school, the option of boarding school was out, since it was important to me that we counteract some of the bad influences of Indian (and indeed, worldwide) formal education at home.
Also, big name boarding schools teach kids how to conform and play the game. Thats for dummies, IMHO.

All this may be subversive and impractical. However, it leads to the million dollar question- what kind of school do you want for your kids?

shere

No it is not any poorer than elsewhere in India but the standards elsewhere are not up to much either. Good schools are few and far between and I for one would use an established school with a history of quality education rather than experimenting with some third rate upstart school with a fancy building.

2. Yes have experience of this, the warmth and caring soon wore off after less than 2 months and the kids were shifted to a boarding school.

At the end of the day they are your kids so you can do what you want. Just wanted to point out the negatives of some of these upstart schools and of staying with relatives. Not everyone is the same so maybe your relatives will be better. Wish you and your kids the best in finding a suitable school and getting a quality education.

Sharmscharms

Thanks for all of your suggestions!

pontesnm

Indians, in general, are not very direct (This is a generalization and not always true - I am Indian and I have first hand experience). So you probably will not know how welcoming they may be of your kids. It is quite likely that they will say sure send your kids over and then complain behind your back about how this awful woman does not want to raise her kids and is dumping them on us.
My brothers and I who live in the States are always trying to guess what my parents who live in India want as gifts. When we ask them they say nothing - do not trouble. Normally we take my Dad some Scotch. This time (he is 86 and has heart trouble) we did not. I would not be surprised if he has complained that we did not bring him Scotch

I went to boys school in India and the teachers and principal would routinely smack the kids if they are badly behaved. I was late a few times and got whacked with a bamboo cane. My school had upto 57 students in a class with one teacher and they have to do this to get order. They cane left marks on your hand (ouch!) I graduated valedictorian and still I got caned every year!