How to Choose the Right School for Admissions

By: Vijay GarG
Schooling is an inevitable and indelible part of everybody’s life. Each one has a different perspective towards this. While some parents might feel that a child can learn in any random school, some other parents have an OCD towards enrolling their wards in the best of schools with the most pricey education.
Among these extremist ideas, a balance is required for a school that has the best of the curriculum and yet charges reasonably to make an ideal school. School life forms the foundation of a child’s career and future. A good school could do wonders in their lives while a bad school could ruin them for life. Hence, it is important to take the right decision for this milestone.
Like choosing the right course, choosing the right school also depends on a various factors based on your child’s needs. Lets look at some of the parameters to evaluate before enrolment:
Knowledge Imparting
This is the prime factor that parents look at for admissions. Basically, they seek quality education by judging the syllabus and curriculum. But this is just a bird’s eye view of the requirement. What parents need to actually focus on is the type of board rather than buying the school’s claims of an exclusive syllabus and curriculum. Some of the boards that Indian schools follow are ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education), CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education), matriculation, state board and IB (International Board). Look for the standard curriculum and cross-verify if there is something really extra about the school’s curriculum.
Infrastructure And Facilities
The second top criteria for schools selection that parents look at is infrastructure. How big is the ground? How tall is the building? Is there air-conditioning? Those are some of the common questions. Let’s a list of vital facilities to look for:
Size of the classroom, Number of classrooms, Size of the class, Number of teachers, Student-teacher ratio, Water supply, Clean and sufficient restrooms, Library, Playground, Auditorium, Projector, Television, Internet, Buses
Location
The locality where the school is matters because your child is going to be there for long hours. Unlike home, where you monitor him or her all the time, you wont be able to see them at school. Take a look at few factors to determine if the school is at a location of your convenience:
Distance from home, Free from pollution, Free from traffic, Free from rogue elements and disturbances such as wineshop or illegal activities, Transport availability
Environment
Environment is beyond the infrastructure or other artificial elements in the campus. A good environment must be good for the physically and mentally health. Here are the parameters:
Presence of trees and plants, Approachable teachers and management, Garbage and dust free, Usage of eco-friendly products.
Safety
With a lot of student deaths happening inside and outside the premises, safety plays a pivotal role for school selection. Even though a school is popular, check for the safety and security measures that are in or not in place. Here is a list of what you must check for the same:
Security guard/watchman, Adequate servants around the campus, CCTV camera, Clean records of the staff working.
Working Style
Some schools have an extravagant curriculum and demand too much from the students. In such condition some unhealthy practices could be prevalent and here are they:
Corporal punishment, Excessive homework, Prolonged school hours
You must look for:
Constructive feedback system, Organised homework instructions, Standard school timings
Discipline
Even though this must be on the top of the check list, parents tend to look for this in the last only. Anything can be earned when lost but if behaviour of the children goes for a toss, then it is very hard to correct them later on. So it is important to strike the iron while it is hot. Parameters to check:
Value education classes, Importance given to uniform dressing and punctuality.