‘This school addresses concerns of parents at the earliest’

One of the biggest concerns that parents have is will they be able to reach the school in case there is an emergency? This has become even more important in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, the first thing on the bucket list that parents make is that the school should be near where they live. There have been instances where families shift their homes to be near their children’s schools.

The same was true for Priya and her husband Abhay Aggarwal (businessman) when it came to choosing the school for their sons Kavish (class V) and Krishiv (LKG) – who are students at Apeejay School, Mahavir Marg in Jalandhar. The fact that both husband and wife are alumni of the school was an added factor.

“There were two reasons why we changed our sons’ school. Besides the fact that my husband and I are alumni of this school, Apeejay, is only a couple of minutes away from where we stay. Second, the school has a brand value and a great reputation in Jalandhar. Everybody in this city has heard of this school. Even though there are several good schools in Jalandhar, when I spoke with parents whose kids are from this school, they only had good things to say about Apeejay,” Priya said.

Excerpts from an interview.

What are some of the changes that you have noticed since your time here?

There have been a few. But the good part is that the teaching methodology has not changed. This means that the school always gives a good result at the end of the academic year.  

Did you make a checklist while looking for the school for your kids?

To be honest, it was more of a mental checklist rather than a physical one. There were a few concerns and a list of priorities. The first was that the school must offer a strong academic focus. The second was that I wanted a school that offered this with extracurricular activities. I wanted my children to participate in the events that the school would hold from time to time.

Do your sons participate in any activities?

 Yes, all of them. Krishiv is a bit of an introvert but in this school, he also has started participating in school activities. Recently, he took part in a speaking activity and a sports event that was organised. Both my sons participate in sports activities as well.

What about the feedback from the teachers?

They are very prompt with their replies. I get regular feedback from the teachers, especially for my younger son. His teacher, Priyanka Sharma, is excellent. If I ever raise a concern she replies promptly. When I had spoken to some of the parents before changing the school they had said that this school is very good with replies and addressing parents’ concerns.

For Kashiv, parent-teacher meetings are held off and on. As parents, we raised a couple of concerns, a few months back. The principal is already looking into the matter and we are sure it will be resolved soon. This is what parents want – concerns to be taken seriously and action to be taken at the earliest which this school does with sincerity.

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“The teachers are very prompt with their replies. I get regular feedback from the them, especially for my younger son. This was the feedback I had got even at the time when I was looking for a school for my sons”

–Priya Aggarwal, Mother of Students at Apeejay School Mahavir Marg

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How are your sons doing now – after studying in online mode for two years?

I am grateful that both of them are good at studies. This means that I don’t have to pressurise them to study. This was true during COVID-19 as well.  

How do you teach a child to share and respect elders?

Our in-laws are with us. All our relatives live in Jalandhar and my sons meet their cousins regularly. While we tell them how to behave and the need to share, the child always does what his parents do. If he sees his father touching the feet of the elders, they will automatically do the same. The kids even pick up the tone that parents use while speaking to others. If you want to teach a child something, actions speak louder than words.