School for sybarites

Does drowning babes in technology and luxury make them great leaders? A recent ad for an exclusive play school...

Does drowning babes in technology and luxury make them great leaders? A recent ad for an exclusive play school Rs 12,000 per month certainly claims to do this. Its curriculum, displayed under the heading, 8216;Exquisite Features8217;, lists ten gourmet meals, visits to five-star hotels and gold class movie halls. 8220;Children should get exposure to these places so that they are comfortable there later on. We also want them to be gadget friendly,8221; intoned the marketing exec.

The school offers other unique features for what it calls 8220;future leaders8221;, like a sensational birthday bash, empanelled paediatricians, psychologists and dieticians. Presumably they would need the latter three after gorging on gourmet meals.

Other star attractions are 8220;futuristic technologies8221; like Playstation, touch 8216;n8217; learn systems etc, to make children 8220;gadget friendly8221;. There are more inducements: fingerprint security, 8220;so that the whole place is sealed and no one can enter.8221; Completely kidnap-proof.

Will the children reared in this hothouse environment grow up to be Little Legends, as the play school dubs itself, or Little Monsters? Located in West Delhi, the school claims to be the first such institution in India modelled on international lines. The ad neglects to mention anything about life skills, the three S8217;s most essential for two- to four-year-olds 8212; sharing, self-care and sitting still.

Obviously the promoters are cashing in on demand from a section of the Capital8217;s parents, focused on producing hi-tech, self-centred sybarites. Like a businessman who recently purchased a Mercedes nearly overnight because his seven-year-old threw a tantrum. The child refused to attend school till it was bought. He wanted to show it off to his classmates.

Down the scale, a struggling professional encashed an insurance policy to buy her 20-year-old son a 8216;Swift8217;, simply because he 8220;wanted it8221;. Neither set of parents was teaching kids about life8217;s essentials, including the value of money. Primary school essays on 8216;My Home8217;, elaborate on personal bank accounts and collection of cars and we8217;re not talking of dinky toys here.

Somewhere along the way both parents and schools have lost sight of basics 8212; the need to build a strong value system for children. All faiths extol the virtues of humility, tolerance, charity, gratitude, and condemn ostentation, hypocrisy and greed. Teenagers are goaded to become successful engineers, execs, doctors. No one urges them to grow into good human beings.

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By being submerged in luxury, kids are being robbed of all motivation. Today we know that character is largely shaped by upbringing and the environment. Early role models, both at home and school, are indelible influences on the child. Perhaps schools and organisations should introduce psychometric tests for teachers and potential team heads, before they are appointed. Well-rounded courses in parenting, say the enlightened schools, would also help.

Today8217;s spoilt brat, used to every whim being indulged, often grows into tomorrow8217;s tyrannical boss who rants, 8220;Look, this is the way I am. You better get used to it because I will not change.8221; But as life teaches us all, adjustment and change is the only constant. And the earlier we learn this, the better.