‘It is important to have a good teacher in foundation years of schooling’

Choosing the right school for your child is never an easy task. So much effort goes into the exercise but parents are willing to go through the rigmarole because, for them, their ward must get the right kick-start from the beginning.

A sentiment that was close to Hitesh Kumar Verma, who works with Haryana City Gas Distribution Ltd, when he was looking for a school for his daughter, Aadhira, who has recently gone into class I at Apeejay School, Saket.

“I live in Mehrauli, Delhi. A lot of our neighbour’s kids go to Apeejay School in Saket. I asked their parents how the school was. I only heard good things – teachers are good and it has a good balance of academics and extracurricular activities. As luck would have it, Aadhira got through to Panchsheel and Saket branches but we chose Saket since it is only 4 km away from where we stay,” Verma said.

In an impromptu interview, the father talks about the importance of holistic development among other things.

How has your experience been at Apeejay School, Saket thus far?

I would say it has been excellent to date. I am very happy with the progress my daughter has been making and her learning curve. The good thing is that she picks up whatever is being taught quickly in the class thanks to her teachers.

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I am very happy with the progress my daughter has been making and her learning curve. The good thing is that she picks up whatever is being taught quickly in the class thanks to her teachers

–Hitesh Kumar Verma, Father of a student in class I at Apeejay School, Saket 

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What is the teaching methodology and how are the teachers?

Till now whichever teacher that I have interacted with at the school has been excellent. I give full marks to Lakshmi ma’am, who taught my daughter when she was in the nursery. She is brilliant. I would give the entire credit to her for building such a strong foundation for my child. I am so grateful to her.

How important is it to have good teachers in a school?

Extremely so. I would say that it is the good teachers at the school that make up the school. If there was a very good teacher in the government school, I would send my daughter there. A child needs a strong foundation in education right at the start. This not only gets them interested in studies, but it also inculcates in children the zeal to learn. This according to me is necessary – a child must develop a curious mind; only then he/she will gain knowledge.

Does Aaadhira like to participate in school activities?

All the time. She learns Kathak and recently won the first prize for a performance that she gave in school. Likewise, there are other events and activities that she participates in. I am happy that she is interested in these activities.

Do you want your daughter to be focused on her studies alone?

Not at all. Every child, in my opinion, should be exposed to a wider world that is beyond just studies. When a child participates in co-curricular activities, he/she gets to explore a whole new world. This allows them to look for other avenues when it comes to choosing their professional journey. For example, since my daughter is learning Kathak, she now has the option to look for avenues in this field as well and not just either a doctor/engineer/MBA.

Do you recommend Apeejay to other parents?

All the time. Since my daughter started going to this school, I tell other parents whose children are in different schools to probably shift their kids to Apeejay. This is because I think the students of Apeejay School stand out in the crowd. It is difficult to pinpoint what makes them so different, but they are.

Should the onus of teaching moral values rest with the parents or the school?

I think the parents and the school should be in sync when it comes to teaching moral values. I also think that moral education should be taught as a subject in schools. When I was in school, we had a separate subject on moral values. Given the present scenario in society today, it is necessary that we raise students who have good moral values.