Educating Hana

“The parent is a client, and the child is a product.”

(From 'When parents pay for international schools what do they think they are getting? And is it paisa vasool?' by Margot Cohen)

I studied in a school with wide open windows that welcomed in fresh air and sunshine. It had vast grounds to romp around in. Sure, we learnt by rote, but we managed to learn to think for ourselves by ourselves all the same.

My daughter will soon be of school-going age, and we are looking for a good school close by home which will not rein in her curiosity and creativity. An international school not too far away was being talked about a lot, and I went to attend an introductory session there to see if it was right for her.

The experience was bizarre. I sat through a corporate presentation delivered by a power presenter who called herself an Admissions Officer (a euphemism for Sales & Marketing, I'm sure). That put me off. Educationists should run a school, not marketeers. I was willing to forgive that, though, since the school came recommended by people who I know and whose opinions I value.

But the school tour decided it for me. The classes were air-conditioned, no sunlight or fresh air streaming in. In the recess, the kids were running around in the corridors despite strict admonitions by the teachers (the school doesn't have a ground, sports periods are on the terrace).

It felt like an office, not a school.

I'm sure their teaching is great. My friend's son who studies there is 6, and knows more than what I did at his age. But...

Hana will now go to a standard school a block away from home. She will look in awe at sunbeams breaking in through the windows while her teacher drones on and on. She will wait in anticipation for the breaks so that she can get out of her stifling class into the open. And she will run home with joy when the bell rings.

And somewhere in between all that, she will learn to think for herself, by herself.