Started full-time academic school here in Pakistan

So, after I’ve inadvertently clocked almost a year here in Pakistan and, with our life in limbo, the family decided to put Kavita in school. My brother Tariq was visiting and, he 'nudged' me into putting Kavita into school, to put her life in 'normal' until we go back to Liberia. 

She’s almost 7 and, at least it would keep her busy and help her socialise. It was decided to put her in good old Beaconhouse in F-10/4, which is just down the road from our family home in F-11/4. "As long as I can get her out of Islamiyat , I’ll be fine with this experiment," I thought to myself. 

I promised to myself that I would take this as a good experience, be open-minded and, enjoy this experience on behalf of Kavita. As “I gave myself some very good advice,” I also felt panicky at the idea that Kavita was going to lose her individuality and precious personality in the factory that is mass education. “Cans of olives” - that’s what I kept thinking. 20 points if you guess the name of the movie. 

Getting uniforms was a very nostalgic moment, reminiscing about that 1 year that my brother and I attended Beaconhouse in Islamabad back in 88 and, my sister too got excited as she also spent some years in the Beaconhouse system. The three of us got so excited at seeing little Kavita in her uniform. The formality of the first few days made me chuckle a few times, at the rigorous schedule, the assembly, the uniform code, and all the books/copies, etc. 

It’s been hardly a couple of months but I thought I'd share what the education factory is up to. Let me just list a few observations below: 

• School starts at 8 AM and, is off at 2 PM. It's freezing cold in the mornings but apparently the classrooms are heated with an inverter unit that works as a heater and AC. 
• The uniforms are horrible. The sweater is a crappy polyester one and, it will not keep children warm in the weather. The blazer too is not nice and soft but stiff. The shoes are horrible. And, it's of course gender segregated. 
• The bathrooms are very cold and outside the main building. Kavita says she avoids going because it's so cold. Some 'ayaas' are there to help children with the bathroom. 
• It was mandatory to purchase a Rs. 13,000 “Study Pack” that weighed about 10 KGs. It was also full of cheap stationery but I couldn’t select what I wanted to buy or not, even with boxes full of stationery at home. Moreover, I was astonished that a 6 and 7 year old is expected to handle so many books and notebooks. No wonder I had seen children pulling the small wheelers everywhere as if they were about to catch a flight. 
• The Science and Maths textbooks are not Pakistani. They are British. So all references are British! Beaconhouse is the biggest private English medium profit-making school system and they haven't come up with their own textbooks yet. The English story books are of course all from English-speaking Western countries. Urdu practice books are of course local but they are archaic style, boring type and fonts and, unattractive books. The Social Studies book is Pakistani but full of patriarchal, nationalistic attitudes. 
• There is a big focus on writing beautiful penmanship. They are being taught good hand writing. 
• I was told that “it was market demand” to have such heavy academic focus at this early age by a senior Principal/Coordinator. 
• Islamiyaat is taught already at this age. Kids have been asking Kavita if she is “afraid of Allah.”  
• There was a day of Eid Milad and Iqbal day in the first few weeks. Any holidays to celebrate women, anyone? 
• The teachers do not seem to have much of a personality. I went in a few times directly into the class or drop and pick her and, I was explained later by someone in Admin that parents are not allowed to go into the class. Is the teacher not confident enough to explain rules? But before I found out about the rule, I had to remind that same class teacher 3 times that Kavita was excused from Islamiyat and would instead be given an extra Urdu class. Even speaking to her, I did not find her engaging. The Admin lady said teachers get stressed when meeting parents unless it’s planned. In fact, the class teacher seemed quite nervous. Perhaps parents have started hounding teachers, just like me? 
• I wonder how much school teachers are paid? 
• Everything is communicated through a Diary, a small notebook in which homework assignments are written and any note is given to parent. The teacher has to sign it and parent has to sign. This little nuisance literally serves as a communication gateway or e-mail server. Except it does not work. If you write a question, it may or may not get answered or, it may generate a whole unnecessary long discussion which makes you want to cry tears. 
• Kavita is a little late to the game but I would have imagined she would know how homework works by now. She should be able to take out the book from her bag and get to it. But no, she has to rely on me to figure out what’s in the Diary device, and, then guide her. After 6 hours in school, they gotta do homework. I mean, talking about killing children. I mean, talking about Finland where the free range chicken, sorry children, roam free and learn by playing. And, in Pakistan, apparently, “parents ask for more homework.” Yes, you heard that. I was told parents are happy when children are given more and more homework.
• And wait for this, children have tests. Which reminds me, they wouldn’t let me keep the admission test. The Principal was guarding it carefully and immediately took it back after I glanced at it. I couldn’t believe this flimsy test was used to “test” my highly talented and unique Kavita who makes up her own songs and, plays them and has lengthy adult conversations with big words with our adult friends. I couldn’t believe that flimsy test was used to put her in Class 1 instead of 2.  
• A child's creativity, imagination, self expression, ability to communicate, and understand concepts is not tested. Instead, the test was divided into single questions from maths, Urdu and English each. There was no other testing method. And, the Principal explained that children are doing a lot of heavy academic work and, that's how they progress from one class to another. I offered to help Kavita up to speed and put her into Class 2 (I feel Kavita is much more advanced than typical kids in terms of her creativity, self expression, maturity and, is very smart) but I was discouraged because this would be too much for Kavita. 
• They are already teaching toxic gender roles in the Social Studies class. So, the textbook lists most house chores done by Mother and, some ‘masculine’ ones are done by Father i.e. wash car. When I asked the teacher she said “ but isn’t that what mothers do?” There was also this one photograph showing a small girl serving tea to an old man. What a stupid cliché. I shudder to think what is taught in the infamous Pakistan Studies which I believe is taught in higher grades. 
• Lessons, Assembly and other activities are photographed and put on the school Facebook page. I asked them to take off Kavita's photographs. I don't like this marketing on Facebook and having our children
• I think they had another set of tests earlier in the term and, now they have 2 weeks of them - they call them CATS -  and, school is let out earlier at 12:30 PM. I helped Kavita to go over all the material but I am astonished at all the work that was involved. Some of the stuff was quite easy but some of it was a little tricky. 

On a positive note, what I do appreciate is that the Admin Staff at the front desk is very sweet. Any time I've complained or had a meltdown and expressed my shock, she has listened to it, tried to explain, or referred it to the Principal. There is no pushback or resentment or 'fleeing from the scene'. 

The fee challan is sent every month, stapled to the Diary. For a little less than 18,000 Pak Rupees per month (compare that to $ 500 we were spending with Cachelle, a preschool), Kavita is enrolled in the biggest English Medium school in Pakistan. It is a professional and organised system.

And, I strangely love the the way the kids are let out. The security guard stands at the gate and when they see the parent, they announce the name on a microphone and, the child comes running out. It's pretty fun.

I really enjoy listening to the stories Kavita has at the end of every day. There is a very very naughty boy called Z who makes so much noise, hits other kids, takes pencils and rubbers away "without permission," and, gets sent to the Principal's office. Kavita says children push and shove and don't even "say sorry." She says children keep taking away her colours and pencils and don't give back. But she's also made friends, and one of them gifted her a lovely pencil. One of her friends drew a little picture on her palm.