Life is all about choices; however, some decisions are incredibly crucial and can have a lifelong impact. Choosing a school for your kids is one such choice that can cause parents to have nightmares. So, is there an easier way for you, as a parent, to make sure that you are, in fact, selecting the best school for your children in Pakistan and not just going with the flow? Well, YES!
This blog is our way of helping parents identify and select the best school for their kids. We’ve highlighted some parameters to take into consideration, so you end up zooming in on the right school for your children, one that’s not going to be just a burden on your kid’s shoulder.
Let’s get learning!
Some Indicators to Consider While Choosing the Best School For Your Children
We had previously helped you find the top Cambridge schools in Lahore, we had even done the legwork for you by listing the best O-level systems in the city of the light. And now, here are some indicators that parents should consider while selecting the right school for children. On the plus side, they can help other worried parents as well.
- Financial & Practical Considerations
- Culture and Philosophy of the School
- Behavioral, Safety & Security Policies
- Teacher-Child-Parent Connection
- Social and Moral Values
But before we get into the details of each indicator, we would also like you to know that you don’t need to Google the most popular Cambridge schools in Faisalabad since we have already hand-picked the schools and have created a list for you to look at.
Financial & Practical Considerations
We understand that as a parent, you want nothing but the best for your children. However, it goes without saying that almost every parent has their own financial constraints to deal with. The fees charged by a school is not the only cost associated with education – it is a whole bunch of costs existing at the same time. Whether it is transportation expenses, buying field trip passes, annual charges, additional costs for using school facilities, or lunch money, everything needs to be considered.
So, when choosing a school for your kid, you should also inquire about other recurring costs to avoid getting any surprises that could get the best of you.
Culture and Philosophy of the School
Every school has a different culture and a distinct philosophy of teaching. For instance, some schools follow a religious affiliation, some focus on academic learning while some put more emphasis on grooming a child’s hidden talents. Not to mention, there are also plenty of schools in Pakistan that promote experiential learning by incorporating creativity and art, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
The decision is yours to make by weighing what’s important to you, your child, and your family values. You can easily judge a school’s culture by the following four factors:
- What does their vision and mission statement say?
- How do teaching and non-teaching staff communicate with the child?
- How do the teaching and non-teaching staff approach the child’s family?
- What do the majority of parents have to say about the school?
Mostly, schools talk about their vision and mission statement in their prospectus, handbooks, websites, or brochures. Also, things such as staff conduct can be easily determined by planning a visit to the school personally during a school-day.
Behavioral, Safety & Security Policies
As a parent, it is vital to know what approach a school follows for behaviour management. Every school has a set of policies for handling violence, bullying, harassment, and other forms of abusive behaviour. If a school is reluctant to talk about such policies, then that place is bad news for your child.
Parents also have the right to know about the school’s discipline policies and what measures does the school take to ensure a child’s physical and mental well-being. However, it is a universal saying that nothing in life is foreseeable, but as a parent, we want control over everything, especially when it comes to our kids’ safety and well-being. In such cases, parents should opt for schools that are all ears to all of their stakeholders, including parents themselves.
On a side note, did you know that you can easily explore some of the best schools in your neighbourhood by visiting Zameen Area Guides? Just enter the name of your desired location and leave the legwork to us!
Teacher-Child-Parent Connection
Teachers and parents are the two most essential pairs of adults in a child’s life. A child can only flourish and be inspired to learn more if there’s a persistent connection between the adults on both sides – home and school. As a parent, you should know what a school’s procedure is when it comes to reaching out to parents, and whether the school organises quarterly or monthly meetings to share a child’s behaviour, progress, and feedback.
If the school doesn’t have a set of procedures for parents to approach the teachers and doesn’t successfully bridge the gap between the adults at home and school, sorry to break it to you, the school doesn’t genuinely care about your child. The fact is that parent-teacher meetings play a critical role in keeping parents informed about the academic and social progress of their kids, however, it is equally important for parents to be able to approach teachers if and when required, and that proper channels should be available to make this happen quickly.
Social and Moral Values
Be it any type of society, liberal or conservative, teaching social and moral values to children is imperative to ensure that the kids grow up to be responsible and thoughtful humans. Nobody wants their children to turn out to be uncompassionate human beings or have little or no value for humanity. As such, schools are the communities that help children evaluate and make them think about how their actions affect those around them, both negatively and positively. As a matter of fact, children are greatly influenced by their teachers, and both parents and children look up to them for character building.
Schools can best support the moral development of children by incorporating kindness, compassion, and empathy in their curriculum – while parents can help by enrolling their children in schools that advocate for humanity over everything else.
At the end of the day, only parents know what is best for their children. However, getting your child enrolled in the right school can have an incredible impact on their overall development and outlook on life. And, this can only happen if the child is being provided with a well-balanced environment at their school. Write to us at blog@zameen.com and let us know if this piece has helped you in deciding the best school for your children in Pakistan. Don’t forget to subscribe to Zameen Blog – Pakistan #1 lifestyle blog.
