Back to Boarding

Yet,private schools in India today are so much better than they were 20 years ago. Most of us were nameless,faceless roll numbers,with tired teachers overwhelmed and helpless to deal with an endless stream of students. As far as learning went,you were on your own — not necessarily a bad thing — to develop strong survival skills. But standards have changed as well,so schools like Millfield have piqued the interest of those who can afford it in India. And that’s a substantial number indeed.

Foreign education aside,there’s a general movement back to boarding,something that had completely lost flavour since the 80s. The top boarding schools in India in the 90s had become the playgrounds of state politicians’ kids,and were considered too backward and unevolved,with poor 12th class results. Now many have re-evaluated their curriculums,with a strong emphasis on academics and produce competitive results at least. The reasons parents are considering boardings again are varied. Careers leave little time to devote to kids work and extra curriculars,is the strongest. The huge number of illnesses,from dengue to asthma,floating around our cities is another. A friend,who’s 12-year-old daughter joined boarding six months ago is thrilled that she’s lost some weight after years of trying while she lived at home. It’s debatable,whether growing up in idyllic surroundings in a hill station,waking at 6 and cramming in a whole bunch of activities before lights out at 8,creates well-rounded adults. These days it takes more than a village to raise a child.

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