Schools will always be dear to South Asians. It’s not just about education, school is an experience and a life-changing place for children. South Asians often more fondly speak about their schooling than their higher education institutions. Which school you went to is a more sensitive and private topic of debate than anything else. Our culture and personality are a product of what we learn at school - which goes beyond just textbooks. As children start school in the UK, Asian Voice reached out to parents to tell us about their thought process of sending their children to school, some of them more fondly are sending kids to the school they themselves went to.
Speaking to Asian Voice, Solicitor and Founder WYN Legal Pranav Bhanot MBE said, “My son (Veer) started school last week which was the same school I attended 31 years ago and the same school my siblings attended. School forms a pivotal part of the development of young children and therefore for me it was important my wife and I felt comfortable with where our son, Veer, was going to go. I was looking for a school which believed in strong academics but also building well-rounded children with a variety of interests and hobbies. It was an emotional time when we had to say goodbye to our child at the school gate to drop him off. I sometimes think it is more difficult for the parents compared to the children.”
“However we like the school and the other children seem friendly. We have organised a class mixer next week where the children and their parents can all meet. We hope this goes well. I think South Asians have inherited a hardworking culture from earlier generations. Just our parents worked hard to give us the best possible start in life, the New generation of South Asian parents want to do the same,” he added.
Bhanot also said, “Therefore a decent schooling education is fundamental in giving our children the best start. I am happy for my child to choose any career path that suits them, but I would like to know that we have done what we can to give our child the opportunity to choose.”
