Schools dangling 'coaching carrot' to woo parents

The mad rush by parents to get their children admitted to English medium schools is prompting several schools to 'upgrade' from state boards to ICSE, CBSE, IGCSE or IB boards in Maharashtra.

The central and other board schools are not just attracting parents with posh infrastructure or extra curriculum, but also assurance of competitive examinations in future.

Many city schools affiliated to central and other boards have tied up with institutes offering coaching for IIT-JEE and MH-CET etc.

Wilfred Naronha, principal of St. Mary ICSE school, said, "The reason behind most of the parent now want to put their child in central board school is because of the use of technology. These schools are also teaching upgraded curriculum to the students. On other hand, they cater to the needs of students by preparing them competitive exams."

While education department recently warned schools to not have any association with coaching institutes or bring their experts to teach in schools, some coaching institutes still claim to have association with schools.

Sudhanshu Sinhals, MD of Sinhal's Coaching Classes, said, "We have tie-ups with 16 schools and junior colleges affiliated to central boards. The reason is to prepare students for exams like IIT-JEE, MH-CET and medical etc. That could be one of the reason why parents are attracted to these schools."