International School Education

“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows” – Sydney.J.Harris

It seems that the who’s who of the Indian educational system do not understand the above quote. The educational system in India still has a strong impression of the British Raj, which has not changed since the past 200 years. The same syllabus, same method is still used, which many would call primitive. However, there is a change in the attitude of the parents. Nowadays, parents have become more aware of the orthodox methods used in the majority of schools in India. We can see that many parents are opting International schools in India.

The number of International Schools in India has considerably gone up in major cities. There are some very good IB schools in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, etc. They offer best education along with a healthy study environment.

International school in India follows and implement internationally recognised curriculum such as Cambridge international exam or International Baccalaureate. They were basically founded for the children of diplomats who are geographically mobile, due to postings in different countries, in order to provide them the same curriculum anywhere in the world. However, today it is not considered as a forte of these children, as parents from different occupational background prefer it for their children.

The reason for growing popularity of International Schools in India is the global curriculum that is taught, giving a special emphasis on skills and knowledge; rather than testing their speed and memory. The purpose of the curriculum is to make a child versatile rather than a bookworm, who is competent enough to face the challenges of the real world. Moreover, they have been able to keep the Indian ethos alive. They follow simple ideology “every child is special” and should be given enough space to grow and develop their cognitive abilities, which would help them to leave their mark on the global arena.

Unlike the other Indian schools, where the pupils are taught to memorise the curriculum and at the end of it spew it out, without understanding the whole concept, making them unable to cope with the ever growing demands at the global arena. IB schools in India, however make the students capable enough to cope with the challenges at the international forum, with its globally accepted course and well qualified teachers. They are also known to give children enough freedom to develop their creativity and analytical capabilities, thus pupils are taught to apply the things they learnt in the school in the practical life.

As there is a majority of foreign students, IB schools in India are a mixed bag of people, having learners from different cultures and ethnicity. The students get an opportunity to interact with other pupils from different cultural backgrounds, hence rooting the concept of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” deep into the minds of the children and making them global citizens in true sense. This also develops moral values like tolerance and universal brotherhood among the children.

The main focus of the IB schools in India is the overall development of children. Thus, they encourage various extracurricular and co-curricular activities in the school. The schools organise workshops, which help the students to take up activities of their choice. They are encouraged to participate in various extracurricular activities. This kind of encouragement for participation in different activities helps them to bring out their hidden talents and shed their inhabitations.

IB schools in India have been a breakthrough change that Indian educational sector has ever seen. It prepares the students for future challenges, with its unorthodox curriculum and well qualified teachers.

Many schools in the past couple of years have been experiencing changing trends. Parents in search of a higher standard of education and an atmosphere with a lot of extra-curricular activities are gravitating toward international schools that are popping up in their home countries. Underdeveloped countries like India, Pakistan, and Indonesia are especially seeing a rise in the popularity of international schools.

What are they?
There are quite a few misconceptions about what actually constitutes an international school. Basically, any school that operates on a curriculum that is different from the national board enforced by the government of the country is considered an international school. Any school that has just hired a few foreigners as teachers won’t be considered an international schools. Ironically, some sly owners of private schools just place an ‘international name’ on their institution in order to trick unaware parents.

Are they any good?
Lower number of students:
With an increase in the awareness of the importance of education, along with the rising population, state schools are being flooded by children, especially in undeveloped countries. A single classroom has to hold forty to fifty pupils and a single teacher has to cope with just as many students. All this leads to two basic things: lack of attention towards each student and the deterioration of educational standards. International schools, on the other hand, tend to have a restricted enrollment number each year. They believe that the lower the number of students, the more time the teachers can spend with each student, which would raise the standard of education.

Up-to-date syllabus content:
The boards of international schools usually have a better syllabus than the ones used by the government boards, especially in educationally backward nations. For instance, IGCSEs tend to change their syllabi quite often in order to make sure that it is up to date with current events. The content is not overly difficult either, and it is designed while considering the educational level of the student in each respective grade. In the case of state schools, the syllabus content sometimes is dated from forty or fifty years ago and there’s no sign of updated materials.

The teaching, testing, and learning techniques:
International schools follow teaching procedures that aim to bring the best out of a particular pupil. Teachers, for instance, are trained to pick out the special capabilities of each and every student. In any other school, there is a high probability that the talent would remain unsupported and go to waste. The unit tests and exams are not taken too often either. An exam per semester or term is considered effectual in testing the students’ learning without adding unnecessary burden on them. Rote learning is one thing that is considered taboo in most international schools, as the syllabus is not designed to be covered this way-only proper comprehension of the material could do the trick. Learning is also aided by modern communication. If your child is enrolled in an international school, they definitely won’t be technology impaired.

Any cons?
The standard of education in these schools is far too high and the tuition fee tends to be on a higher spectrum that doesn’t include exam fees, lab fees, and other side expenses. Plus, many governments usually do not support the curriculum being taught in international schools, which means that many of these students later face enrollment problems when applying to government universities. Also, the enrollment period in international schools is limited, and unfortunately the admission criteria might be a little demanding and bothersome.

An international school in Ahmedabad city is considered as a best option for fulfilling a child’s dreams and goals of receiving the best in schooling right from the start of their career. Some of the best international schools in Ahmedabad city are the ones that consider all these aspects and provide platform for an all round development of a child. They are just the kind of training grounds that parents had been looking for since a long time now. With a vast international infrastructure and environment where learning is made simpler and better, these schools have sure made an indelible mark on the minds of most parents. Children learn to grow in a fine environment and develop a keen interest in reading on subjects that matter the most in modern day life.

What’s more, they learn to appreciate nature and grow in an environment where they are encouraged to nurture the trees and shrubs around them. Right from an early age, these schools strictly follow the policy of instilling values that benefit children in the different stages of their life. Much care is also taken by these best international schools in Ahmedabad to ensure that an equal balance of classroom learning and on field learning is maintained so that students may benefit by understanding through group discussions and experiments. It is said that when students are exposed to practical learning they are able to memorize and reason out things well.Most of the best international schools in Ahmedabad thus help develop a strong foundation for their students so that they may excel in every field with flying colors.

Moreover, the dedicated team of teachers at the int’l schools always shows their support and concern to students in matters relevant to academics and extra curricular activities. Most best international schools in Ahmedabad city are a combination of international practices and local culture and traditions, so that students may take a keen interest in their surroundings and imbibe what is important and necessary.

These schools are home to the latest high tech equipments with which teaching is made easier right from the kindergarten years to the higher secondary level. The management of most of the international schools provides laptops to the teachers along with comprehensive libraries for students to study and discuss on subjects related to course studies. Students are advised not to carry heavy bags to the school as relevant books for learning are provided by the school authorities on most occasions. Advanced computer labs and scientific laboratories, music studios and a dedicated auditorium for fun and cultural activities are something most international schools boast of. In addition, vast acres of land for the benefit of various sports activities such as football, basketball, cricket, table tennis and field games are also accommodated in more ways than one. Owing to all these exemplary features, these int’l schools are the best thing to happen to children today.