Posh playschools come with a cost

Kozhikode: Trained teachers, toys imported from the UK, China and Russia, best student - teacher ratio, concept school, activity-based curriculum and foreign syllabuses- these are among the baits offered by the city’s  prominent and emerging playschools to catch parents with big pockets.  But these ‘specialised’ services come with a price.

Experts have advised parents to do their homework well before selecting the school. Imported infrastructure and imported teachers have scored above basic facilities like LCD monitors or air-conditioned classrooms in the city’s  prominent playschools. Some schools also survive on their brand names alone.

An international school  on the outskirts of the city has imported all the furniture for its kindergarten students from China and the UK.

“We have built a hi-tech classroom and playground both for indoor and outdoor sports, specially designed by the experts in Disneyworld in the US,” said the administrative officer of the institution.

Many private schools in the city charge anything between Rs 25,000 and Rs 3 lakh  as donation. The practice is prevalent in   matriculation, CBSE and ICSE schools also.  

A recently-launched high-profile pre-school charged a total of Rs 35,800 per pupil for pre-KG admission, besides  PTA fund, building fund,  orientation fee and workshop fee.

Parents are  attracted by the quality of education as also  the reputation of the school. “My priority for my kid is   good basic training in education and  extracurricular activities, for which money is not a criterion,”  said S. Nishitha, a resident here.