A relative was happily distributing sweets because her son had got through his interview and got placed in a prestigious educational institute.
When I heard this I was shocked, for he was just a four-year-old kid and that admission was for L.K.G. I was aghast to hear that, during the interview, he was asked to identify shapes, colours and animals and, moreover, his behaviour was checked by offering him a candy.
Schools are generally known as a place that shapes a student’s mental faculties. But, even to get shaped by a school, a kid has to prove himself.
I wondered if was I overreacting as no one else in my family or circle of friends reacted as I did. They beamed with pride that the kid was very intelligent; perhaps the kid was smart enough to withstand all the pressure from his parents.
I do not know if I should snigger or agonise about the state of the schools. The schools create fear and a sense of competition amid parents. Why can’t parents walk out and go to another school? Can competition at the age of four be healthy? Why should a kid hone his intelligence at that age to get a good education? If schools expect a kid to be skilled even before entering kindergarten, then what are schools for? To teach him design a spaceship or perform heart surgery?
