During admission time, private schools across the country witness large queues of anxious parents outside their admission offices, eagerly waiting to obtain application forms and successfully secure seats for their kids.
For numerous parents, obtaining admission to a school replete with the best facilities and an efficient transport system is of utmost significance. This is because passing out from a reputed school is a stepping stone to future success.
It is just not enough for a school to have a cutting-edge building, ample play areas, air-conditioned classrooms, and activity labs. There is much more to learning than mere infrastructure and facilities.
Mentioned below are some admissions questions that parents should ask when choosing an international school in Mumbai.
(1) How Future-Ready is the School?
It is much more important to ascertain how the school is ready for the future rather than its former pedigree. Your child will be attending a school for around 14 years. The world will be a completely different place by the time children are required to attend college. It is vital to equip children with essential skills in this context: skills that can help in navigating future uncertainties and succeeding in jobs in workplaces of that specific era.
Ask:
- How will the school teach your child to successfully adapt to change and uncertainty?
- Will children learn how to learn?
- Are children being taught to engage in group study and think in a critical manner to solve problems?
- Can they learn, then unlearn, followed by relearn?
(2) How Proficient Are the Teachers?
In extremely rare scenarios do parents who go hunting for schools ask to arrange meetings with the teachers. This is a big mistake because teachers are the ones who will eventually mould your child. One of the most important admissions questions that parents must ask is “Does the school coax its teachers to successfully undergo professional development so that they stay abreast of the latest teaching and learning methods?” Aditya Birla World Academy (ABWA), the most reputed international school in Mumbai, has the best-of-the-best teachers on board, whatever the subject.
Ask:
- What are the teachers’ educational qualifications?
- How much work experience do they possess?
- Do they undergo refresher training each year?
(3) Does Learning Take Place Outside the Classroom?
As a parent, you need to know what percentage of the week is usually spent within the classroom and what percentage is in laboratories and sports fields.
Ask:
- Does the school plan field trips or visits to the local museum?
- Do students meet achievers in diverse fields?
- How many excursions and community activities are scheduled in a typical academic year?
(4) Does Learning Take Place Outside the Textbook?
The present era is such that a child is bombarded by info from a wide range of sources. It would indeed be disappointing if learning were confined merely to reciting lessons from prescribed textbooks and then answering questions from the lesson.
As a parent, you need to know how much of the learning takes place outside textbooks.
Ask:
- How are questions asked by children handled?
- Are children engaged through hands-on activities or several other experiential learning methods?
- What are the sources of info as well as learning (such as project work and hands-on activities for your child) besides the textbook?
If you are on the lookout for the best IB school near me , your search ends with ABWA.
(5) How Safe Are the Learning Spaces?
This is one of the most important admission questions. Learning spaces have eventually evolved from wooden benches in a row, with a teacher standing on the dais model.
Children, these days, typically inhabit bright as well as cheery spaces, replete with maps, charts, and cartoon characters, to name a few. Desks and benches presently come in child-friendly as well as safe shapes and sizes.
Learning spaces that serve as a deterrent to physical injury are indispensable. Besides physical safety, you need to ask the admission counsellor about the emotional safety as well as the well-being of your child.
Ask:
- Are students encouraged to ask questions?
- Do children learn in a safe, positive environment, where no one is humiliated or made fun of?
- What is the policy of the school when it comes to punishment?
- Speak with teachers as to how they discipline children. How are troublemakers dealt with?
When it comes to the best IB school near me, need not look further than ABWA.
Some other vital questions that parents should ask include:
- How is technology being used in the school?
- How are children assessed?
- Are participation and achievements beyond academics supported and encouraged?
- What is the school’s value system?
The Bottomline
Choosing the best international school in Mumbai can be an extremely daunting and arduous task. While the quality of education remains the primary factor, the ability to hone your child’s creative, social, and physical capabilities is also essential. There is no magic formula to zero in on the right school; that said, there are several elements to consider, such as asking the questions mentioned above.
