With people becoming increasingly aware of brands, the fixation seems to be affecting the choice of school for their children too.

As parents vie to secure admission of their kids in a ‘branded’ school and schools too going all out to promote themselves, kids are the ones who are facing the music. From learning nursery rhymes to memorising alphabets, parents are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that their child puts up his or her best show on D-Day.

The preparation starts as early as a year before the admission dates are announced. It begins with teaching basic information like parts of the body and slowly graduates to lessons in nursery rhymes and numbers.

So that a child is able to make an impeccable impression on school authorities, parents lay equal stress on teaching them to mind their P’s and Q’s. “A child of two years is taught different ways of greeting elders and various table manners. Some parents go to the extent of teaching their child the national anthem and national song. They fail to understand that a child of 3 to 4 years cannot retain so much information. This is the reason we have kids as young as two joining us,” says Ashima, who runs a playschool.

Aarti Mohan who has been ‘helping’ her friends prepare their children for the admission season shares: “I have harried parents of unruly kids, especially boys, coming to me for lessons in politeness and manners. They do not want to spoil their chances of seeking admission in a ‘good’ school because of their child’s playfulness.”

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