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Indian School

The need to speak English is recognised by the teachers and the pupils. However, even more important is the need to speak it fluently and with flair, understanding and elegance. To support this there're literary weeks and debates designed to enhance vocabulary, understanding and elocution.

As always in India everything is competitive and pressurised. No free and easy debating society here. The pressure to succeed is ever present and the teachers don`t do anything to alleviate this. In fact, they go so far as to 'assist' with the speeches to ensure that their students are competitive and the prestige and honour of the school is upheld and enhanced.

'the pressure to succeed is ever present'

These earnest young men and women, with no room in their lives it seems for levity or the joy of youth, prepare slavishly for their debating competitions. If they're not engaged there, they're creating political groups and are highly politicised at an early age. It's tempting to compare and contrast the children with their peers in the UK and see if the children here are as aware of the political environment around them. It seems in fact that for the Indian children the politics and the debating and the pressure is the enjoyable part of childhood. This is what they're used to and expect ever since they come into school.

About the author

Billy Khokhar is an assistant director with the Open University, and an expert on cultural awareness and diversity. Billy used to be a teacher, and is interested in how education in India compares and contrasts with the UK.