Do you think Top International Schools are affecting your child's self esteem?

[Shivangi Jain]

The recent proliferation of International Schools in India has significantly improved the educational environment for Indian children. The schools offer learning at an international standard, while reducing the burden that children feel in standard Indian schools from overwhelming coursework to a stressful examination environment. However, International schools must not rest on such laurels and should instead strive to improve the lives of their students even further.

One of the greatest concerns about developing children is that of self esteem. The world over, educationists and parents have deliberated over the various problems that affect a child’s self esteem. Those problems as well as some that are uniquely Indian can easily seep into a child’s environment in this country. Schools play an important role combating negative factors that affect a child’s self esteem. Various factors that exist in a school’s environment can aid the development of low self esteem and it is a school’s duty to ensure that measures are in place and that vigilance is high to ensure that children have the best possible chance of developing positively with good self esteem, and international schools are no exception.

The popularity of International Schools has occurred simultaneously with India’s changing economy which has created considerable wealth. This wealth has created a very good environment for children to develop, especially since it means parents being able to make better educational and non-educational infrastructure available to their kids. The development of the internet has also meant that knowledge is right at the fingertips of children, more so in the developing mobile sphere. However, these developments also have a dark side. Increasing purchasing power means that consumerism is growing. On one hand, consumerism is great for the economy and brings the best products to people whenever they desire. On the other hand, if this consumerism goes unchecked, there are opportunities for unfair competition arising between children within the school environment, as this is the place in which they meet their peers and show off the latest gadgets and other bells and whistles that they have acquired. Ultimately the kid whose parents have more spending power creates the most envy and an unhealthy competition ensues in which children with less purchasing power are in danger of suffering from depression and low self esteem.

Another factor that can influence a child’s self esteem is that of academic competition. While schools are places that strive to ensure that their students perform well and keep improving their academic scores, these scores are often compared outside of class between peers and at home between parents. The school plays a crucial role here to ensure that students get the best guidance, suited to their own academic situations, with optimal teacher-student contact outside of formal classroom teaching.
RIMS International has a two-pronged strategy to ensure that a child’s self esteem is never affected negatively. The first strategy involves teacher student interaction. RIMS’s teacher to student Ratio is 1:10, the lowest ratio among international schools, ensuring that teachers can give each of their students more personal time and thus are more familiar with their students performances and emotional well being. In addition to this, our teachers are trained to ensure that there is no perception of favouritism being shown to any one student, so that everyone feels like they are being looked after. This stretches down to their targets, assignments and other development fields.


The second strategy is that of ensuring limited use of gadgets and other technology. RIMS ensures that students use technology to aid productivity and nothing else. We ensure that there is no space for students to flash the latest gadgets and thus create an environment of consumer competition. However, we are aware that in today’s age it is essential to keep young minds in touch with technological innovations to aid many fields and thus we ensure that no child is left behind.

[Fatima Shreen]

With mushrooming of International schools, education has become more of a prestige issue than just learning. A school is considered good if it has a high fees and uses latest technology for imparting education. i feel that these are really wastage of resources. Schools should purely provide quality education. gadgets and technology should not be used or used just as an aid making the learning process easier. It should not be binding on the students.

[payal raval]

I personally feel that International schools offer not only quality education and ensure that child learns and thrives in life too. Since my kid is studying in an International school in Bangalore, what I see is that the kids look more confident and at the same time they are growing with good thoughts and traits. These schools not only encourage the kids but also the parents to become a part of the school. Every event in the schools teach the kids something or the other. One day they learn and how to protect the nature and the other day - different cultures...

[Preeti Gada]

Hi, I do not thing that top international schools effect the self-esteem of the children. Today India has so many international schools opening day by day and these schools have improved the quality of education and environment of education in India completely. Learning in these schools offer children learning in the international standards and also has a different pattern of the education system, hence reducing the burden and pressure from the heads of the children. I personally feel children are happier and enjoy these schools and feel more free that the previous system education. They should strive to improve the lives and education of their children more.

[Sneha Rathod]

Self-esteem has always been an issue in developing kids. Parents have always complained over the different problems which affect the child’s self-esteem. There are some schools which play an important role in coping negative traits which might affect the child’s self-esteem. There are various factors in the school which can affect child’s self-esteem, either it can develop low self-esteem or too much self-esteem. I feel it is schools duty to ensure that their environment is not affecting a child and make sure that the child has a positive and high-esteem than getting negative. International schools can develop such low-esteems sometimes.

[Zubi Khan]

Today in India sending child to an international school has become a status symbol. India’s wealth has changed over a period after the increasing the number of such school and has brought immense wealth. It has both positive and negative traits, the environment created for children is very good and beneficial for the development of the child. Parents are able to give a proper education and educational infrastructure to their children. All things required today are available in such school like internet which is a good source of knowledge. So I personally feel it is not affecting the self-esteem of the children.

[Minal Bhalla]

There are chances that sometimes such good opportunities take a reverse turn. Children can start taking the competitions in unfair way. Children create negative bonds between them for competition and start fighting and also start competing with each other. They start showing off their grades and latest gadgets and all other things which create a rift between the peers. The feeling of hatred increases and causes children to fight unnecessarily over stupid things. Later on it is seen that parents who earn more and can spend more can cause more envy and unfriendly competitions, creating a low self-esteem and depression in children whose parents can’t spend much.

[Latika Singh]

My kids are studying in international school and I personally feel it is a best platform to learn quality education. Such schools provide a better educational environment for a proper learning and development. My children study in international school which is in Mumbai. I felt a difference after I put my children in that school. They seem to be more confident and mature at the same time as they are taught various things along with proper communication skills and good thoughts. I do not feel that there is any kind of rivalry in between the children in school and everyone is treated equally in the school.

[Smriti Tori]

There are some schools which encourage the parents also to be a part of the school. Parent can also participate in the school events and have a look on their children how they are coping with other students. The RIMS international school has assured the parents that there is no low self-esteem increasing in the children. The teachers and students have interaction every time and the ratio of student and teacher is around 1:10 which is probably the lowest in international schools. This way the teachers give personal time to each student and ensure that each child get equal opportunities.

[Shaily Tandon]

Nursery school admission is no child’s play. It can give you sleepless nights and add on to the stress levels terribly. If you happen to be in Delhi NCR, then the situation worsens all the more where the total number of applications are almost triple of the actual nursery school seats available.

[Patrik]

thank. it was very interesting. I will try to understand this topic too