Principals Must Get Real In India .

As a Principal , I was terrible at networking through the phone .In 99 percent of the cases I got a bad press because I just did not know how to please a set of people I had no respect for . I was not too successful in pleasing the managements at most times .But yet I was a fairly successful Principal I would say .And certainly not a disaster .
I was very clear about certain things .I was certain that the only way for children to climb the socioeconomic ladder and find secure work was to take an examination. These examinations required a thorough command of knowledge, and taking them was a grueling rite .The systems I created were all geared to promote excellence in in taking exams and scoring well .Not for me –sending children to China ,Brazil ,NASA ,Singapore etc . And having 6 inter class dance and other activities per day !! All that could wait .Foreign trips don’t get you into St Stephens , Hansraj ,LSR or Shriram College !!.Marks do .
I knew that students would be under enormous, unrelenting pressure to perform. Talent is not a consideration — because the culture believes in hard work and diligence and above all, there is no excuse for failure. Children have to study year-round, both in-school and with tutors in extra classes .I believed - if you study hard enough, you can be smart enough.
I was also convinced that it’s a question of short-term unhappiness and long-term happiness.Dont fall for this “jargon” that “oh my child is very happy in school” .The chances are that he could be unhappy in life if he does not perform in a country like India . It’s not just the parents pressuring their kids. Because this culture traditionally celebrates conformity and order, pressure from other students can also heighten performance expectations. The class sizes are very large — which would be extremely undesirable for, say, an American parent. But in India , the goal is for the teacher to lead the class as a community, and for peer relationships to develop. In American preschools, the focus for teachers is on developing individual relationships with students, and intervening regularly in peer relationships.
I know that there are better and worse way to educate our children. At the same time, if I had to choose between an average US /UK , education and an average Indian education for my own kid, I would choose, very reluctantly, Indian model. The reality is, in the modern world the kid is going to have to know how to learn, how to work hard and how to persist after failure. My Indian model teaches that.And Principals who are indecisive and trying to mix and match the two models are in my favourite phrase –running with the hare and hunting with the hound !!!.