1 million books… and still counting! As the third and final day of the drive came to an end, the wall had truly become great. Thank You India for this overwhelming response and for helping us bring underprivileged children closer to education!

As part of Aviva’s Street to School program, the books from the Wall will be used to move thousands of underprivileged children with Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, Save the Children, CINI Asha, Eureka Foundation, Hippo Campus and SOS Children’s Villages of India closer towards education. The books which are not relevant for children will be recycled into fresh notebooks by Handpaper.

Speaking on the occasion, Gaurav Rajput, Director Marketing, Aviva India, said, “At Aviva, we believe that ‘Education is Insurance’ and we are truly grateful to the people of India for making the third edition of the Aviva Great Wall of Education a big success. We have collected over a million books and still counting from across the country this year, which will go towards building a brighter future for the underprivileged children by helping them into education. We appreciate the patronage of the people of India towards this noble cause, and thank them for donating books.”

Thank you India for donating so generously and helping us in bringing underprivileged children closer to education!

For those who still haven’t donated books yet, you still have one more day to donate. Abhay Deol will join us tomorrow afternoon at the closing ceremony of the Aviva Great Wall of Education. Donate books and help spread the joy of learning to those underprivileged children devoid of education!

The day was filled with a lot of excitement, with people reaching in large numbers wall to donate books .There were special puppet shows highlighting the importance of education and urging people to make a contribution to the great wall. The puppet show captured the attention of the children present at the event and was liked by the them very much. Along with other activities there were quiz shows and street plays for kids. Small kids managed to surprise elders with their wit and understanding of the importance of donating for the cause. There were young minds coming forward and motivating people with their delightful thoughts. People from all age groups came to donate books at the wall. This was one of the classic examples of people  from different walks of life to coming together.

One of the donors was a student who came forward and shared his story. “My professor always urged me to donate my books to the less fortunate people who could not afford them. Today I am an established engineer thanks to him; I hope my contribution can help someone”. There were several other such inspiring and moving stories shared by the donors.

Once a child’s talent has been identified, it becomes the duty of the parents and his school to nurture this talent. The focus should now shift, from exposing the child to various activities in order to explore his talent towards concentrating on the discovered talent. 

Unless you are following Home Schooling for your child, where it is only the parents who are involved with planning the child’s activities and exposure, it is a 50/50 partnership between the school and the parents. 

Lets go through the roles of each of them one by one. 

Parents role in nurturing a child’s talent 

Parents have the most important contribution towards this objective as without their participation and encouragement even the most promising talent can go waste. They are the one’s who generally are responsible for the identification of the talent in their child. 

● Fall in Love with the activity yourself

○ It is the responsibility of every parent to get to know the subject/activity that your child is talented in. You should try to grasp as much knowledge as possible about the subject. If you cannot do it practically, like playing the sport or the musical instrument that your child is skilled in, you can still try and become an expert in theory on that subject. 

If you are not able to do so, then it might have two consequences, either your child will try to find someone else to talk about or share his passion for the subject, which might lead him to drift away from you a bit or he might loose interest in pursuing his talent if he feels that you are not showing enough interest in his passion.

Enjoy talking about and participating in the activity to the extent possible for you with your child. Remember, it should not become a burden for you or your child.

● Provide all resources at home

○ Try to provide all possible resources that are necessary for the practice, further development and improvement of the talent at home. It can be either books on the subject, Cd’s, musical instruments, sports equipment etc.

● Professional Coaching/Training

○ It is always a good idea to seek professional help and coaching to hone the interest of a child for a talent that has been identified. A professional coach,who would be an expert in that field can help your child to focus on his talent and sharpen his skills and take advantage of the experience of the trainer. For example – Singing, painting, ballet dancing, football or any such specialized interest would need a professional coach as early as possible. It is the duty of the parent to choose the right coach after doing proper research.

● Be Patient, don’t push

○ It is a very important role that a parent needs to play once the talent has been identified. Parents should ensure that the child does not suffer from burn-out by over exposure to an activity. Please ensure that the child gets a normal life like the children in that age group and has a mix of activities in his schedule. Let himplay other games also even if they are not the ones he is talented in. Let him enjoy other activities too. Never push a child to pursue his talent only; be patient as a talent generally takes time to develop and too much pushing can lead to a dislike towards that activity.

● Choose the right school

○ It is one of the most important role that a parent has to play in his child’s life and especially a talented child. As mentioned above, a school and parent should act as an equal partner in the pursuit of developing the talent of a child. Hence,we as parents should exercise all due diligence while selecting our partner ( the school ). Do your research, meet the school authorities and make sure you are choosing the right school that will focus on nurturing that specific talent of your child.

If the talent is identified at a later stage, then we should have no hesitation in changing the school of the child, if the existing school cannot play the role of nurturing that specific talent.

The choice of the right partner ( school ) in this case can have a huge impact on the development of child’s talent. Ensure that you choose the right school that understands and plays its role well developing your child’s talent.

School’s role in nurturing a child’s talent

● Acknowledge the child’s talent

○ This is the first and foremost thing that a school should do. Unless there is a policy or a system to acknowledge talented children and their individual talents, a school cannot plan or nurture that talent further.

● Provide resources to develop that talent

○ The school should have the resources and specialized subject experts available for the proper development of the respective talent. For example, in case of computers ( Well, even programming can be considered a talent in the modern era), the school should have a state of the art computer lab with all the latest technologies at its premises, which should be supported by teachers who should be MCAs or Computer Engineers with domain experience. Similarly, in case of sports, for example football or cricket, if the school does not have the proper ground or pitch, it won’t be able to contribute to the talent of a child who is bright in these games. Same goes for badminton, lawn tennis or any other game.

● Provide opportunities to showcase and practice that talent

○ Just providing resources and training will not serve the goal, a school should also provide enough opportunities for the child to showcase his talent. This would lead to appreciation and recognition from the peer group and teachers and also help in building the confidence of the child, which indirectly leads to more interest in that activity.

Various opportunities that a school can provide are:

■ Performing in school events in case of kids with talent in performing arts.

■ Regular stage exposure, for example an activity can be chosen on a daily basis to be showcased during the school assembly.

■ Regular competitions, in case of sports.

■ Sending talented kids for zonal competitions, inter school competitions etc.

■ Working on some school project or social project, for IT whiz kids.etc.

However, it is a well known truth that every school is not a specialist in all the talents and might not be a right fit for your child, even though it might be the top ranked school in your area. Hence, choose the school for ruth that every school is not a specialist in all the talents and might not be a right fit for your child, even though it might be the top ranked school in your area. Hence, choose the school for your child with utmost care and after doing full research and ensuring that the school will be your perfect partner in nurturing the talent of your child.

Is your child talented ? In what field or activity ? What steps are you taking to nurture his talent ?

Do you think the current school is playing its role perfectly in helping your child ? If not, then are you planning to do something about it ?

Author – Rajan Arora – ( Founder of SchoolAdmissions.in) 

© Copyright 2011-2012 – SchoolAdmissions.in

The sooner a talent is recognized in a child, the more time would be there to encourage and nurture that talent which would help him throughout his life. It is here that the role of parents as a talent scout for their child becomes most important. Even though a talent might be identified by other people that a child interacts with, for example teachers in his school or playschool, it is the parents who are the closest to a child and have the benefit of giving their undivided attention and observation to a child, which might not be possible in a group environment, like a school.

As a parent it is your duty to expose your child to various interests and activities and then keenly observe your child’s interest, liking or an extraordinary performance in something, that is unusual of kids of his age. That might well be the hidden talent of your child.

Here are some tips on how to encourage various activities that might lead to discovery of the talent in your little one.

Whether it’s different sports, drama, music, art or science, find ways to expose your child to as many of them.

However, you need to ensure that the child should enjoy what you intend to do for him. Do not force him into anything.

a) Sports – Take him along to watch a cricket match, golf tourneys, football matches or tennis matches or any other sport activity. Then watch where his interest lies. If he asks for a cricket kit, get him a cricket kit and indulge in his interest yourself. If he liked tennis, get him a tennis racket. Join a sports complex in your area and go there regularly with your kid and see what your child likes to play. You can start with professional coaching once his interest is figured out.

** A great opportunity is knocking at the doorstep of all parents living in Delhi and NCR region in the form of 2010 Commonwealth games, to be held in Delhi from Oct 3rd to Oct 14th 2010, and it would be a great time to introduce your child to various sports**

b) Drama and Theater – Take your child along for plays, puppet shows etc.

c) Music - Take your child with you to various musical concerts and programs, whether it is classical music, ghazals, pop or rock. Observe your child at the concert and his feedback and behaviour after that, do you find him singing or trying to play a guitar or a tabla!

d) Art - Art exhibitions, workshops etc

e) Science - A visit to the National Science Museum or the Nehru planetarium can wake up the scientist in him, if he is interested.

This is just a small example of various things that you can do.

Once you have identified your child’s talent, you should not take a sit back and watch approach but rather do everything possible to encourage that talent.

Provide him with all the possible tools and support to enhance his talent, even providing him with professional coaching if needed. Talent gets developed over a period of time and it needs a lot of perseverance. A child might be talented in one thing but might not like doing it, in this case help them enjoy that topic and talent will develop gradually at the right time. Do not make it a subject of study for them, but something they should enjoy and do voluntarily.

You can also take the help of your child’s school and the teachers to identify or later on develop the talent in your child.

Tip – Do attend the Parent Teacher Meetings in your child’s school and don’t hesitate to contact the teachers if needed before that.

Once the talent has been identified, make yourself fall in love with that subject and become aware of that yourself.

“If only had my parents taken note of my interest in a specific sport and provided me with guidance and training at the right time, I would have been a sportsperson now instead of watching that game just on TV.”, How many of us have thoughts like this every now and then ??

Well, I do for sure!!

However, in our times the environment was not so full of opportunities and our parents never read such articles, but now there is nothing stopping us from encouraging the talents of our children.

A child, is after all a child and does not understand the definition of talent or identify the importance or use of his talent in this competitive world. As parents, it’s our duty to not let a talent in a child fade away.

Not every child can be a born genius, but with regular sharpening and development of his talent, he can surely become a genius in his field when he grows up!!

Author – Rajan Arora – ( Founder of SchoolAdmissions.in)

© Copyright 2011-2012 – SchoolAdmissions.in

Finally, I decided to make it a combination of both with more focus on our own experiences.

Education is not just the responsibility of your child’s teachers anymore.

It is a 50-50 partnership between we the parents and the teachers. And it is very important that both work together for the benefit of the child.

Here are some tips and suggestions to help you form an excellent parent teacher relationship:

1. Always meet your child’s would be teachers before the start of the new session. This implies for every new session as there might be new teachers every time.

2. If your child is getting promoted to a higher class or a new school, let his new teachers know his/her strengths and weaknesses as well as your concerns. This would help the teachers understand and plan for his education at school for best results. Share any old notes or interactions that you had with his previous teachers with the new teachers.

3. Let the teacher know that she can contact you anytime for any problem she faces or issue she sees in your child. Make them believe that you respect and value what they are doing for your child.

Also, this helps form a relationship with the teacher that allows you to approach them anytime you feel the need.

4. Many schools conduct activities which allows parents to participate. These can include workshops, open houses, cultural or sport events and community initiatives. Use these opportunities to network and bond with the teachers and other employees of the school.

5. Extra curricular activities and sports are also a big part of a child’s education and one should also meet teachers involved in this as well as the sports in-charge too. This is sure to elevate the chances of your child being picked up for various cultural and sports activities as well as get special attention from the coaches.

6. Never miss a scheduled Parent Teacher Meeting as that is your best chance to speak to the teachers and keep a regular check on your child’s performance in the school. I would suggest that both parents should attend but if its not possible then at least one of the parent should be there.

7. Take notes before going to the PTM ( Parent Teacher Meeting ) about what issues you would like to discuss with the different teachers. From our personal experience, I can tell you that my wife does this regularly now after some initial PTM’s that we attended in Aaryan’s school where we always used to forget a couple of questions that we had in our mind before leaving for the PTM.

8. Take notes during the PTM also about what issues the teacher raised and what was mutually decided as the solution. This would help you work on these issues at home with your child and later on you can use them as a reference point in your next meeting with the teacher to check out if she is able to see a positive change in the child.

9. It would not be possible for you or the teacher to interact on one to one basis regularly. Remember, the teacher has to divide her time and attention equally amongst all the kids in her class or subject.

Solution here would be to use other communication modes like the School Diary, which is still the most used mode by teachers to convey their thoughts and communicate with the parents.

So, do check your child’s school diary on a regular basis and reply to any notes given by the teachers. You can also use the diary to communicate your concerns etc to the teachers.

10. With the advent of technology, many schools have implemented other communication mediums like emails, forums and online messaging systems. If your child’s school offers any such facilities then make sure you use them to the optimum.

11. Remember, never do your child’s homework or projects yourself.

You can be a guide but not more than that. In most schools homework is used to reinforce concepts as well as to understand and evaluate how much the child has learnt. This helps the teachers plan for your child. Teacher want the parents to ensure that homework is completed regularly and review it thereafter to keep track of what your child is learning or having problems in.

If you find that you have to help a lot for the child to complete some homework, then be honest and put up a note for the teacher saying “ Done with parents help”. Make your child understand that you are doing this for his good and to let the teacher know that they need to work on the particular concept with the child.

But if you find too much homework being given and child overloaded with that only all through the day with no time to play etc, then let this be known to the teachers and the school staff. Believe me, it works ( From personal experience ) and any good school would take a second look at its homework policy and make positive changes.

Remember, a school is not just made by the teachers but also by the parents nowadays.

Both Puja and myself, ever since we co-founded SchoolAdmissions.in have been very big advocates of “ Parent Friendly Schools” and our experiences are based on our interactions at our son’s school, which luckily for falls under the norm of “Parent Friendly Schools”.

Most of the suggestions given above would only work in a school, where the teachers are friendly and open to participation by parents.

But what if my child’s teacher is not friendly and non co-operative ?

If you find that your child’s teacher is not co-operating in spite of your best efforts and that is leading unsolved problems in your child’s development, then it is time to approach the school’s Principal and the management.

If even that does not work out and you find that even their attitude is not friendly or understanding, then most probably you have put your child in a wrong school and you should correct that mistake as soon as possible.

Examples of benefits and positive effects of parent teacher communication.

I remember being told by a representative of a top convent school in Delhi, that they stopped the sale of junk food, sauces and soft drinks in the school after a parent talked it over with them. They saw his point and now this much sought after boys school in Delhi has no junk food available in its canteen.

Our examples - Our son Aaryan was reportedly being very introvert in between and his mother Puja then talked to the teachers about it. We got to know that he interacted only in his comfort zone of a couple of friends in the school. We requested the teacher to alter his seating arrangement on a regular basis so that he gets to sit with different set of kids. This paid of and he got more friends and came out of his comfort zone and is less introvert now and interacts freely with other kids too.

Remember, a healthy and positive communication and relationship between parents and teachers would play a big part in how your child feels about the school and how successful he can be.

Diane Levin, Ph.D., professor of education at Wheelock College says “”It demonstrates to your child that he can trust his teacher, because you do. This positive relationship makes a child feel like the important people in his life are working together.”

That is very true as your child’s teachers would be the most important people in his life after his family and when all of you work together for his benefit and his good, he is bound to have the best education and growth.

All the best for your child’s future and his education.
Author – Rajan Arora – ( Founder of SchoolAdmissions.in)

© Copyright 2011-2012 – SchoolAdmissions.in

DrChiranjib Deb
I see cost of education is a major concern even in present days…yes it will be of more concern in the near future…but who are responsible for this…we blame politician,we blame private sectors,we blame standard of education in govt school,a…nd we blame everyone….but excluding us….have we ever thought that we are also responsible for this?????yes…we are equally responsible for this….I have seen people,rather its amongst that ,they think there will be some special development among students if they are admitted in private schools….I agree that these days govt schools are not not up to the mark,not able to give quality education…but its because of their limitation…or in some case because of some negligence….it might be that they are not getting the remuneration that probably they are expecting, then many other factors do work,…govt schools are not getting enough infrastructure……but if we look at the background ,then probably we will find out that some of the very top professionals come from poor family,and they get education in govt schools and at reasonable cost….so I believe its in our mindset that we developed already that without money ,probably education is difficult….but I believe if we work upon our mindset,our plan..then education is still affordable at reasonable cost….lets organize our mindset,that it’s our mind that guide our plan…but being said so I do agree also that private institutions give quality education with quality infrastructure….but if we can get quality infrastructure from authority in govt schools and if we can organize our mindset,and if we convince ourselves that we can have quality education at reasonable cost….then probably it will be a much more optimistic approach

Kailash Sharma
Cost of Education is a major concern. If the govt. provides scholarship to all students without considering any ground of reservation like cast, religion, economy & other. Govt. is providing mid day meal in all govt. schools. All govt. schools may converted into day boarding schools. Teachers should stay 24 hours, 6 days in school for consult the subject for students. Books, stationary & other accessories are not the major part. Fee should be reduced up-to affordable limit.

Sia Sharma
After reading everybody’s views, i come to a conclusion that everybody is describing d problem in 1 way or d other. Ever person is concerned but no1 including me want to take a step. Y we always lend d blame on others, specially polititions…, when deep in our hearts v all know that polititions cant be true even to their families. I beg ur pardon 4 getting away from the topic. Yes i also agree to d fact that rising educational costs can make any parent go boo hoo. When a child is born, parents start planning his future. Earlier parents used to save 4 their child’s marriage, now they save 4 their studies. Even to take admission in nursery u hav to pay 20,000 donation, n fees extra. D worst part is that u hav to give entrance exam to get ur child admitted to a gud n reputed school. I agree that competition has increased n education scope has also increased but we must think about those hu hardly live their livelihoods. A person who earn 50 rupee per day, how can he pay his kids fees. V must nt forget dt 70% india is below poverty line. No matter how much educated v becom if poor do nt get d benefits, india can never grow.

Rashida Jasdanwala
“The sky’s the limit” was a term coined by Cervantes in Don Quixote which means there is no apparent limit. That is exactly what is happening in today’s scenario. There is no limit to price rise in any arena. The rate of inflation is so hig…h that all levels of society are getting affected not just the middle class. Coming to education, IT IS going to get dearer. On one hand we speak of educating all children and on the other hand the basic as well as specialized education is getting pricey. What does one do? Where do we go? Whom do we blame? How do we deal with this topic? Can we all take a stance, can we create mass awareness, can we stir up a movement to deal with this issue? Somewhere we have to take ownership to curb the over pricing of at least basic education so there is 100% literacy in our country. Simultaneously we need to rework the rising prices of specialized education in India first and thus set an example for the rest of the world. Sounds very idealistic but if we don’t start now we can only then continue cribbing forever. Let’s join hands for a better future in education for not just your or mine but ALL THE CHILDREN.

Parveen Bobby
Instead of distributing free color tV’s, Gas stoves……the government can supply free text books for all classes from kg to X!!for both Pvt and government schools ie as soon as samacheer kalvi is formed . cos eventhough the government has fixed the fee structure from 2010,many pvt schools have collected full fees.

Ramnik Sandhu
yes of course cost of education…..as we all knw education is bcming costly wid evry cming day…..4 a common man it hs bcme difficult to afford higer education..esp when u talk bout professional courses…..so it wont b wrong to sat dat education will b major concern…and we r all well aware dat widout education a nation cnnot evn dream of developing..isnt dat true??? so wt r ur views…..do we need to tk steps dat education reaches evry hand…..

Man Yusuf
Cost of education will be a major concern in the near future particularly in the developing countries where prudent utilization of resources are a big problem. This attitude hinders the provision of better formal education to all children; since education is agreed to as insurance for better tom…orrow, then any hindrance will breed a “tsunami” for the universe by extension. Every child should be entitled to opportunity for education that is available and affordable in order to have a decent and meaningful contribution to life.