Parents raising the bar for their children

Parents are going to great lengths to make sure their children get top scores in the upcoming board exams

With the standard X board exams around the corner, parents have become a fretful lot as they resort to promises of expensive gifts if their children score well. Others enroll their kids for crash courses, keen on a last minute drill to do the trick. Then there are those who take extended leave from work, hoping constant supervision, if not anything else, will get the kids to slog it out.

A comforting home environment, according to some parents, is a sure-fire way to help children concentrate. Ruthra, a student of National Public School, will be taking her standard X exams this year, but has not enrolled for coaching classes. Her father Ujval Joshi, who runs a chemical business, says, “I am confident of my daughter doing well without tuitions. I have taken a print-out of the number 98 per cent and pasted it on the walls of her study room. I have converted my residential office into a study room so that she has a good environment to study in,” says Joshi.

Gifts also find their way into the barter as a fair deal with most parents. Latha Joseph, director Montessori Wonder Years, whose son Leon studies at Bishop Cotton Boys School is set to appear for his class XII exams. “I presented him with an electric guitar during his revision holidays as I used to see him practice the guitar whenever he took a break between studies,” says Joseph, adding, “We have also given him a Play Station 3.” Joseph has planned to take leave all through March.

While A Krishnan, whose daughter Nandhitha studies at VPS says, “My daughter is intelligent. I cannot buy expensive things. I have, however, brought her education CDs, though it is not part of the syllabus, so that she learns more about the subject. It will help her perform well.” Her mother Radha, who has friends at Global Divinity Trust, a spiritual organisation, asks them home to chant for her daughter.

Coaching classes, however, remain a priority for many parents. Vinod Valson, general manager at the Taj Gateway Hotel, has spent Rs25,000 for his son Roshan’s tuitions in Maths, Physics and Chemistry.

“I expect him to do well. Tuitions alone won’t help. My wife has taken off from work for a fortnight to help him with his studies,” says Valson, adding,“It seems we are more worried than our children.”

There are still others who do not believe tuitions or gifts will bring the desired results. “I never agreed to my son going for coaching classes,” says VK Subramanium, general manager for the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). “I don’t think going from a classroom to a coaching centre will help children in any way. They will fall into the rut of studying. They will not develop an eye for detail,” he adds, “Motivation from parents alone will not do. Students prepare for the exams knowing that their parents are there to support them.”

Odeal D’Souza/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication