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Stepping stone to success?
New Delhi
Stepping stone to success?
Sidhartha Roy, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, May 02, 2012
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If you ask any parent why they want to send their children to a play school, most would answer that what the kids learn there would help them get admission in a ‘reputed’ school. They don’t want their child to lag behind those who would have been to a play school.
Early childhood
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‘Play schools not needed to get into nursery’
education is a universally necessity for a child’s growth and development. In Delhi-NCR, however, play schools are mostly seen as a stepping stone to a school of the parents’ choice. It is this belief that has led to the mushrooming of all kinds of play schools in the city in the past decade.
Play schools thrive on this feeling. Most of them claim that their students get admissions easily in sought-after schools. At most play schools, you would find a list of formal schools to which their students got admission pinned up on the notice board, printed in the brochure and posted on their websites.
Apart from smaller schools and well-known play school chains, many formal schools too have started their own pre-school wings. “Though the schools claim they don’t give preference to students of their play schools during nursery admissions, there is an apparent bias towards their own wards,” said Sumit Vohra, founder of admissionsnursery.com, which helps parents seeking nursery admission for their children.
“Last year, we received many complaints from parents on this issue. Some schools had even given 10 points to children from their own play school,” he alleged. Another important reason is the growing number of nuclear families where both parents go to work. For many, play schools are just glorified day care centres where children also learn something.
Educationists feel play schools play an important role in a child’s early development and shouldn’t looked upon just as a part of formal schooling. But that is exactly what is happening in some cases.
Without any set guidelines, play schools also don’t follow a common syllabus or teaching programme. The child can just play all day and learn social and communication skills at one play school and be taught the syllabus prescribed for Class I in another.
The Ganguly committee on pre-primary and pre-school education in Delhi, constituted by a Delhi High Court order in 2006, mentions in its final report that instead of providing a cheerful environment with activity-oriented and non-structured informal learning, many play schools follow a very academic and teacher-directed curriculum.
“This is what should be discouraged. Play schools are about preparedness of the child,” said Dr Shyama Chona, former principal of DPS, RK Puram and a member of the committee.
“Like every natural being, children have a natural instinct to learn and play schools should encourage that,” said Dr Indu Kaura, coordinator of the Rajkumari Amrit Kaur Child Study Centre. “Instead of asking them to keep quiet, their curiosity should be encouraged. There should also not be emphasis on children finishing any work in a deadline. Every child learns at his or her own pace,” she added.
There are all kinds of play schools in Delhi-NCR to suit every budget and need. The curriculum and facilities vary accordingly. It is for the parent to decide what is best for their child.
Play schools not needed to get into nursery’
Hindustan Times
May 02, 2012
May 02, 2012
First Published: 00:32 IST(2/5/2012)
Last Updated: 00:35 IST(2/5/2012)
Last Updated: 00:35 IST(2/5/2012)
Though the gruelling interviews for nursery admissions have stopped, many still feel their children wouldn’t get through a good school if they don’t go to a reputed play school. Ameeta Wattal, secretary, National Progressive School Conference and principal, Springdales School,Pusa Road, clears the air:
What is the role of play school in a child’s education?
Children need the facility where they can play, socialise and move around with children their age before they start formal schooling. Parents today don’t have the time and such facilities at home. Children learn to break away from family and be by themselves in a play school.
Many feel a play school is necessary for their child’s admission in a good school.
That is not at all required. Why and how can a school ask that now? We don’t ask about which play school the child went to. We ask questions such as if the child has learning difficulties or if the parents are alumni of the school etc.
Even if there is no weightage given to a child’s play school, parents do feel that unless their children goes to a reputed play school, they would lose out in competition.
A pre-school wouldn’t get your child admission in a school of your choice. This culture of brand is ridiculous. Parents have to accept the fact that they may or may not get the schools of their choice.
With so many options but no regulation, how can parents choose the best play school for their child?
The best way is to choose the school nearest to you so that the child doesn’t get tired just reaching the school and it becomes a place for happiness, not exhaustion. Parents should look for safety measures by visiting the play school first themselves. It should be a colourful, happy-looking place. There should be enough auxiliary staff to help out children and each classroom shouldn’t have more than 10 students. Check out the qualification of those in charge of the school. They should have a certain mental maturity and experience in the area.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sonia Dey on
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Hi Sakshi,
I do agree with your criteria of selecting the best play school. I have been to number of play schools in last one month for my dauther's admission only to get some reputed one ....like Aardee at Maharashi Ramana Marg don't even allow parents to enter the school, forget about to know the school environment and to interact with auxiliary staff. MMI is good and open but just look at their over-charged fee structure. Step by step is also in the same line they didn't even bother to ask the few mandatory questions. Leave aside these high ranked institutions... to select the best I visited the very nearest option - Junior & Tiny Tots again they didn't allow to look the infrastructure. Kindly advise me how would I select the BEST in such circumstances. My main purpose to send my daughter to play school to facilitate her to socialise and to move around with other children.
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Permalink Reply by Sakshi (Moderator) on
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Sonia
Try in learning tree (next to ardee) one of best ,also try in kangaroo kids (v.k)/Adayant(v.k)..these all will full fill your requirement .
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our experience was good in respect of play school. we never went for high repute school as objective of sending my son to play school was to pass time with his age group people than getting AC atmosphere etc. Even the neighboorhood school showed us school completele and answered all our quereies in respect on their teaching and children care centre. our son has studied for 2 yrs in 2 different play school. One was small and second was bigger -having nature /garden exposure to him. We choose second as we wanted him to get exposed to envirornment and do bit of travelling before he had to go for his big school....
decision of school depend upon your thought process mainly. Big schools do have some better facilities , but again it depend what facilities you are looking for your child which may differ from parent to parent....
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My elder son never went to any play school and surely he does not lag behind in studies and extra curricular activities. However, I did send my younger son to the play school, as he did not speak much. After attending the play school, with 3-4 months only he started speaking words and then sentences. Thanks to the Principal and teachers of St. Thomas Play School in RK Puram, where they have a wonderful hour long assembly, where children not only say their prayers but also recite poems, numbers, songs, dance etc. So I feel that play schools should be treated as a platform for social and communicative development of the child, however, for many play schools, it is just a platform for minting money from parents, specially where both are working and somewhere deep in their heart have a guilt of not being able to give the appropriate quality time to their kids and do not want to see them lag behind.
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Purnima u r spot on.
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Permalink Reply by 0azyzexqhnvjn on
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hii every one . iam divya garg . i agree with you that play school lays a foundation for holistic development of the child. most of schools i came across last year for my daughter admission in lajpat nagar actually horrified me as for them norms of running a play school is just a mimicary. most of schools have under qualified teachers, 25 is to 1 ratio of child to teacher. no safety measures.schools run by people who have no experirnce in this field and just treat play school as a buisness to make maximum profit. most of the schools dont allow any 1 to see the infrastructure and in past i have been a teacher my self in most of renowed schools in south delhi. the things that i experienced in few schools while working there included rude behaviour of maids, children left in a room to cry and teachers were scolded if they take child in thier lap or embrace to pacify them.
this made me open my own play school in lajpat nagar 1 at a rented place. when i interacted with parents . i was shocked to know that most ofthem believe that a play school will help their child to get a admission in formal school .
where as a play school has noo role in getting a admission in play school.
the name of my school is daddy's little star . B-5 Lajpat nagar 1. pls visit my school to feel the difference .
my school is although in 900 sq ft as my pocket doesnt allow to me to take a bigger space than this however after being different from rest iam still running my school in loss for last 1 and half yrs as schools nearby me are selling a sweet poison to most parents and parents are blindly putting their children in those schools just for the name sake.
parents ar
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Hi Sakshi,
I went through the article & it is helpful to select the paly school,as i live in sainik farms and looking something near to my place.Can you suggest me a good play school for my 18 months old son.
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Jasneek julia gabriel has shifted from sainik farms ,try in their vasant kunj branch even they have branch in saket ,see if vacancies are there in Amiown pushp vihar
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