‘At Apeejay, nursery teachers develop a strong bond with the child’

Anchal Khera, regulatory manager, Reckitt, and husband Ashok Chaddha, hair educator, wanted for their daughter Amisha a school that would work towards building her overall personality. This, among other factors, led them to enroll her in Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park, in nursery. In an interview, the parents talk about how the school has lived up to their expectations. Edited excerpts:

What were the things you considered while choosing a school for Amisha? Why do you think Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park, was the right choice?

Anchal: When I did my schooling, the curriculum focused primarily on academics. Before enrolling my daughter in an institution, we took a lot of feedback from others, asking about schools and how pedagogy has evolved in the current times. The response we got regarding Apeejay Schools was that they are able to strike a balance between core academics and overall personality development, akin to our expectations for our child. This was one of the major reasons that inclined me towards Apeejay. When we finally interacted with the school staff, our views about school were only reaffirmed.

So, have the school and the staff lived up to your expectations?

Anchal: It has been outstanding. Amid Covid, Amisha was not much exposed to the external environment. She did not even get the opportunity to experience playschool. With no concept of a school or teacher in mind, I was a little apprehensive initially about how she will manage online learning. But what I noticed at Apeejay is that the teacher develops a strong bond with the child. The way they engage with young children — be it through enactment or clay modelling and showing videos, among other activities — is really unique.

Like you mentioned, Apeejay focuses on the holistic development of children. In what ways has the approach impacted your child?

Anchal: The lack of exposure to the world outside amid the pandemic had made Amisha a bit of an introvert. Whenever somebody visited us or we went out, she did not feel very comfortable around people. What Apeejay did was to help children open up through various interactive sessions, from hobby classes to dancing, yoga, aerobics, and so on. I would also like to express my gratitude towards Amisha’s class teacher because of the bond she has developed with Amisha. She is the one who ensures my daughter’s active participation and gives her the constant push to excel. So far, my daughter has participated in many co-curricular activities. Overall, I am quite happy and satisfied with the way Apeejay has been driving this educational journey.

As working parents, does it get difficult to manage online classes?

Ashok: We get regular updates about the school in advance. It is very easy to plan beforehand. We also have WhatsApp groups that keep us updated.

Take us through the admission process. What was the interaction with the school like?

Anchal: Amisha is our first and only child. Having been born and brought up in Delhi, I thought it would be convenient for us to crack a school for Amisha. If I remember correctly, I filled applications in almost 25-30 schools! But when we went to visit a couple of them, I think Apeejay came out on the top because of many factors. Not just the faculty, we also loved how the management pays attention to every detail from sanitation to transport facilities and safety.

During the admission process, the school principal met the parents in person, where she took us through the entire faculty and the education process, and also understood from us what our expectations were and why we chose Apeejay over others. The interaction was very satisfactory.