‘Zero tolerance to bullying is the foremost policy here’

Being at school for six hours often leaves the parents perplexed about their child’s well-being. In dire times like these, it becomes the sole responsibility of the school to maintain quintessential discipline to provide a fine healthy environment to the students.

Meet Mohit Agarwal, father of Ansh Agarwal, a student in class X at Apeejay International School, Greater Noida who shares his thoughts about how imperative it is to maintain zero tolerance for bullying at school. 

Excerpts from the interview.

How has Apeejay stood out as an admission choice for your child?

I got my son admitted to Apeejay in class III. Before that, he was always in playschool up till class II. When eventually the options ran out I started exploring the schools that could fit our requirements best for our child. I came to know that Apeejay has been associated with good education for a very long time. When I explored this school, I found that it was the best option that we had in Greater Noida.

Is the school environment conducive for your child?

I feel that the school environment is very well maintained. Moreover, the management is extremely particular about the way they handle discipline and other things on the school campus. We have never heard or experienced a single instance where any student has been beaten up or bullied which occurs in a lot of other schools around us. Fortunately, in Apeejay I noticed that my son is in extremely good hands since the school follows zero tolerance for bullying and other harmful activities. I think the credit goes to the hard work of management and teachers who don’t allow the students to deviate from the correct path.

Are the teachers regularly discussing your child’s performance with you?

Definitely! In the monthly PTMs, the school always advises us to meet all the subject teachers apart from the class teacher. They insist we discuss the performance of my son with all the subject teachers and that’s a wonderful way to keep the communication channel open. Besides that whenever we as a parent have any queries, all we do is drop a message to the concerned teacher and most of the time we instantly get a reply. This is a big assurance to us proving that the teachers are equally interested in our child’s development.

Do you feel that the school is a second home for a child?

The school is like a second home. Its prime responsibility is to nurture and teach the kid just like how it is followed in a home. Not everything in the world can be taught by the family. For example, how to interact with other people of the same age or elders outside since we follow a very controlled environment at home by default. So when my son goes to the school his horizons expand. So the real and most practical learning comes from school and that will help him to lead a better life in society.

What kind of positive changes have you observed in your son?

My son was an introvert initially but over the few years starting from class III, the teachers have maintained a progress report which they share with us. Now the last progress report they shared with us showed that the child had started eating food with other students. This regular feedback shows that the teachers have been observing my child, and because they are observing they are taking measures to correct the behaviour too. We have found positive change in our son.

How is Apeejay an ideal school?

Apeejay implements all those aspirations that we as parents expect from an ideal school. The best attributes of Apeejay are ample attention given to each student, the teachers are cooperative, and my son’s needs and health are taken care of. He is guided well about career aspects and I think that’s what a school essentially needs to do – make each student capable.