As Indian professionals and families increasingly explore the possibility of returning to India after spending several years overseas, education experts are highlighting the need for parents to reassess how they approach school selection for their children.
Sushma Bharath
Sushma Bharath, an education strategist, believes that while returning families are often quick to recognise the changes India has undergone in areas such as technology, infrastructure and lifestyle, their expectations around schooling can remain rooted in the past.
According to Bharath, conversations with parents considering a return to India reveal that school selection frequently revolves around familiar institutions, schools they attended themselves or those known for strong Class 10 and Class 12 board examination results.
"Parents may have spent ten or fifteen years experiencing a different education system overseas, but when they return to India, their school choices can often be influenced by the same reference points they grew up with. The question is whether they are choosing what is right for their child today or simply what feels familiar to them," she says.
Bharath believes this approach warrants reconsideration, particularly for children who have spent a significant part of their schooling in another country. Their exposure to different curricula, teaching methods and classroom environments can make the transition into an Indian school system a significant adjustment.
She emphasises that the decision should not be reduced to choosing between Indian and international boards, or evaluating schools purely on the basis of their academic reputation.
Instead, parents should begin by understanding their child's individual learning needs, previous schooling experience and ability to adapt to a new educational environment.
An important question parents should also ask themselves, Bharath suggests, is whether they genuinely enjoyed their own schooling experience.
"Many parents remember their schools fondly because they performed well academically or because those institutions were considered prestigious. But have they really thought about what their own learning experience was like? And is that necessarily the experience they want their children to have?" she asks.
The question becomes particularly relevant in the context of a rapidly changing employment landscape. Many professionals considering a return to India are themselves navigating career uncertainty, changing job markets and evolving professional expectations.
Bharath points out that the world today's children will enter is likely to be very different from the one their parents grew up preparing for. Consequently, school selection must take into account not just academic outcomes but also the broader learning environment and capabilities that children will need in the future.
She recommends that returning families consider three key aspects before selecting a school:
The child's existing learning journey: Parents should understand the child's previous educational experience, learning preferences and the adjustments required when moving between education systems.
The actual school experience: Beyond reputation and board results, families should examine teaching approaches, classroom environments and the opportunities available for individual development.
The future their child is preparing for: School choices should reflect the skills, adaptability and capabilities children will need in a changing world of work.
With India's education landscape continuing to evolve, Bharath believes returning families have an opportunity to approach school selection with fresh expectations rather than relying entirely on familiar names and past experiences.
"Coming back to India does not have to mean going back to the educational choices of the past. The more important question is not which school worked for the parents twenty years ago, but which school will work for their child today," she adds.
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