Importance of boarding schools

It is often tough for a child to leave the secure environment and pampering of home and to go to a residential school to study. The anticipation and anxiety associated can be very stressful for a small child. However, such schools help a child to develop his or her overall personality, along with providing quality education and sports training. Boarding schools give a child the perspective on how to become a successful team member as well as a future leader.

Reasons to send a child to a boarding school

Such schools are often described as home-away-from-home, simply because, these schools provide similar environment and value-system that a child gets from his or her house. Some of the advantages of sending a child to a boarding house are:

• Making a child self-reliant and independent
• Teaching him values and discipline
• Evolving his life-skills such as confidence, fearlessness, courage, self-esteem etc.
• Developing his team as well as leadership skills
• Creating an overall personality of a child

Things to consider while sending a child to a residential school

It is an important decision to send the child away from the safety net of his or her home environment. Therefore, as a parent, a few things that one should take into consideration include:

• Finding out about the safety and security features offered by the school
• Assessing the reputation of the school through alumni, parents of current students and media reports
• Understanding the background of the faculty and management of school
• Taking a tour of the infrastructure provided, especially the boarding house and mess
• Asking pertinent questions regarding food, clothing, study times and sports facilities available to the students
• Assessing emergency services such as availability of clinics, doctors, nearby hospitals, as well as finding out whether the school conducts regular fire drills and other emergency evacuation drills

Tradition of boarding schools in India

In India, the tradition of sending children to boarding schools dates back to the era of Vedas and Upanishads, when the princes used to get their education from intellectuals or gurus in their ashrams or centers. This tradition was known as the Gurukul system, wherein the children were imparted education, along with physical and military training in the ashrams of the gurus. Once the students finished their education, they were allowed to go back to their homes. Some of the famous centers of such learning in India were situated in Nalanda and Taxila.

Taking this age-old tradition forward, many modern schools in India were introduced, which focused on providing holistic education to the students. India boosts of many well-known residential schools located in the favourable locales of mountains and valleys, providing the perfect serene environment for students to study.

In the recent times, many new schools have also started their operations, often setting up at the outskirts of the urban areas or cities. This trend has helped parents to be much more relaxed as they could reach their children easily in case of any emergencies.

Future perfect

In today’s demanding world, it might not be possible for parents, especially busy professionals, to give adequate attention towards their kids’ education. Therefore, boarding schools in India provide the right solution by giving the children a homely environment and quality education, while developing their overall personality.