Can the kids adapt well to Indian Schools ?

jinx2007 · Post by **jinx2007** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 12:29 pm

Hello folks,

My kids are currently 6 and 3 and I am planning to R2I in 2010 and my kids then will be 9 and 6. I have been concerned about their ability to adjust/adapt to living conditions in India, particularly I am concerned about the School part for my elder one. Though, I agree that the adaptability will differ from one kid to another but I still wanted to get some generic inputs from this forum. I have a few questions for those who are ready to R2I (this year) and/or those who've successfully completed their R2I journey:

1) Do you think realistically a 10 year old brought up here in the US can adjust to local schooling in India (CBSE or equivalent).... ?? Considering multiple languages to learn, tough mathematics, different teaching methods, etc, etc
2) What are you folks planning/doing to do to ensure a smooth tranistion for the kids ?
3) Is anyone considering sending their kids to an international school ? Heard that at the lower end it costs over Rs.50,000 PM and goes as high as 1.5 lacs PM!!
4) Though subjective, what in your opinion should be the threshold age beyond which we should stop attempting to do R2I for the sake of kids ?- I saw some say up to 12 years of age

I believe our R2I will fail even if one member of the family fails to adapt to Indian conditions, therefore I am taking this seriously apart from other challeges we all have.

Appreciate if you could share your inputs/experiences :)

Old-Spice2 · Post by **Old-Spice2** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 1:03 pm

>>>1) Do you think realistically a 10 year old brought up here in the US can adjust to local schooling in India (CBSE or equivalent).... ?? Considering multiple languages to learn, tough mathematics, different teaching methods, etc, etc

Depending on where you r2i, prepare them for local language. 2 languages other than English is compulsory in many Indian schools (may be not in Intl school). You have to teach them Indian languages at home - just speaking is not enough. You should buy text books as per their grade level and spend time to teach grammar, essay and writing.

>>4) Though subjective, what in your opinion should be the threshold age beyond which we should stop attempting to do R2I for the sake of kids ?- I saw some say up to 12 years of age.

Anywhere from 6th grade onward it starts getting tough for the kids. Final call is at 8th grade. You can forget r2i from 9th onward, unless you go for American School or Intl schools. The reason is CBSE ask for certificate from school that the student has passed 8th grade with two languages (other than English). But rules vary from state to state. You have to be more specific where you plan to r2i.

layman · Post by **layman** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 8:12 pm

I agree with whatever O-S2 said. Even though there are 2 languages in addition to English to study in CBSE in India, the third language is easy compared to the second language. So, the kid should be trained in at least one language before R2I. Another option is to select French/Spanish as second language. You have to arrange tuition for the language part in India.

Another important thing is you have to mentally prepare the kid. Tell the kids now itself that they are going to study in India from whatever grade you decide. You tell them that the teachers are very strict in India and they have to study a lot. If you prepare them well in advance, it will not be a shock, when they have to carry a 10kg bag on their back and when the teachers yell and curse them.

jinx2007 · Post by **jinx2007** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 10:27 pm

Thanks for your inputs! But how are you folks teaching the 2nd language for the kids.... tuitions ?? We're already having difficulties even to make them talk in our native language!! wonder what I should be doing.... :confused:

r2iedhappy · Post by **r2iedhappy** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 10:41 pm

I am a big supporter of international schools for transitionting older kids .. the env, teacher/student rattio and facilities are much better ..kids don't fall sick so often (clean food/water) too...the cost is high but not as high as you pointed out ..most are in 20K-30K PM range.

layman · Post by **layman** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 11:35 pm

jinx2007;44003Thanks for your inputs! But how are you folks teaching the 2nd language for the kids.... tuitions ?? We're already having difficulties even to make them talk in our native language!! wonder what I should be doing.... :confused:[/quote]
If you are in bay area, there are no problems. There are classes on weekends for almost all Indian languages.

For Tamil, contact http://www.catamilacademy.org/.
For Hindi, there are multiple choices in bay area. I know atleast a couple. One is thro' Chinmaya Mission and another thro' Indian Cultural Orgn.

It seems you are from Dallas. I heard Texas has sizeable Desi population. Get access to Indian magazines and attend Indian cultural events and network. You will come to know about how other desis are getting Indian language education for their kids.

Go to this website http://www.chinmayasaaket.org/. This is the Chinmaya Website for Dallas. Click on "Balavihar" from the website.

I am not a big fan of International schools. Reason: I studied in a Gov School in a small town and I want my kids to see the other side of the world as well. But, I agre at higher grades International schools is the best option. I met a R2I couple in India. They have put one kid in International school for +2 and another in CBSE for 6th grade. That makes sense. The +2 kid was taking French as second language.

yessireebob · Post by **yessireebob** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 11:42 pm

I have a 9 year old who joined 4th grade this year and so far it has been pretty OK. There were some complaints on the food, and why are they making me write down all this stuff and keep repeating it etc. The school that she is in did start her off slow on the language and we have supplemented it with after school tuitions. [no 3rd lang yet since this is ICSE]
International schools if you can afford them would be the best for a soft landing, but in my mind if you want to kid to grow up in India, it is best to localize them as soon as possible. maybe start with international and move them to something that mroe repesents your lifestyle later.
Eventually in my mind education is preparing them for living life. Unless they are going to go back abroad for studies or are affluent enough to not care about earning a living, at some point they will have to go and face the world.

bengal_tiger · Post by **bengal_tiger** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 1:46 am

yessireebob;44018
Eventually in my mind education is preparing them for living life. Unless they are going to go back abroad for studies or are affluent enough to not care about earning a living, at some point they will have to go and face the world.[/quote]

Very true, I wish more parents thought like you instead of the "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality that seems to be so prevalent.

You mentioned that for ICSE, the third language comes later, do you know at what grade? Also, do you know when does the third language get introduced for CBSE?

jinx2007 · Post by **jinx2007** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 8:32 am

Great input folks, Thanks!:)

If the international schools are charging 20K-30K Rs then I see an alternate option (temporarily) for the kids in case they're not 100% ready.

DosaiLvr · Post by **DosaiLvr** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 8:44 am

jinx2007;44079Great input folks, Thanks!:)

If the international schools are charging 20K-30K Rs then I see an alternate option (temporarily) for the kids in case they're not 100% ready.[/quote]

In BLR there are International schools and International schools.

Fee ranges from ~30 international (fake) schools to ~300k (or more) for the genuine stuff.