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Full Mercs for school Ikons! : The Pioneer
New Delhi, Apr 06: A Merc for a school topper. More than a pat on the back! If years back, parents lured their child with a bicycle for excelling in Board exams, today the schools are ready with cars. That`s marketing in diaper age!
New Delhi, Apr 06: A Merc for a school topper. More than a pat on the back! If years back, parents lured their child with a bicycle for excelling in Board exams, today the schools are ready with cars. That's marketing in diaper age!
One such example is the St Lawrence School in East Delhi that has announced four cars as the prize, including a Ford Ikon and a Honda City, for its toppers in CBSE's X and XII standard exams. The awards are worth Rs 35 lakh. Aiming high, the school plans to gift a Merc in the near future.
"The prizes are for the students of our school only. If they top the CBSE Board, they get the prize," says Girish Mittal, chairman of this school.
"Everyone wants to get a pat for hard work. It stands true even for Sachin Tendulkar. We think such prizes will act as a driving force for the students," he argues. "Our school has only 40 students in Class X. Others have a much higher number, so we are focussing on improving the competitive spirit." He proposes to select the toppers from the CBSE records. CBSE officials, however, deny any support to such a move though they add that the schools are free to give away anything. But, "we do not declare toppers in CBSE," says CBSE director Ashok Ganguly. The announcement has worried parents. "We have seen many schools opposing us when we gave a token of appreciation for excellent marks. But now they are doing the same, on a bigger scale," says Rajesh Sharma, father of a Class XII student. But Ruchi Ahuja, mother of a Xth standard boy, finds little fault with the proposition: "Appreciating the student's effort is not bad. Even we give our children gifts. But giving away cars does seem odd, as they will not have a driving licence." She is, however, quick to add: "But it will add dissatisfaction to students who will miss the wagon by a whisker. And it might add pressure to perform," admits Ruchi. Other schools are up in outrage. "We are not providing children with right values through such steps. Everyone despises materialism and is trying to keep the young generation away from it, but such incentives will end that initiative," says Vandana Puri, Principal, Salwan Public School, Rajinder Nagar.
"Everyone wants to get a pat for hard work. It stands true even for Sachin Tendulkar. We think such prizes will act as a driving force for the students," he argues. "Our school has only 40 students in Class X. Others have a much higher number, so we are focussing on improving the competitive spirit." He proposes to select the toppers from the CBSE records. CBSE officials, however, deny any support to such a move though they add that the schools are free to give away anything. But, "we do not declare toppers in CBSE," says CBSE director Ashok Ganguly. The announcement has worried parents. "We have seen many schools opposing us when we gave a token of appreciation for excellent marks. But now they are doing the same, on a bigger scale," says Rajesh Sharma, father of a Class XII student. But Ruchi Ahuja, mother of a Xth standard boy, finds little fault with the proposition: "Appreciating the student's effort is not bad. Even we give our children gifts. But giving away cars does seem odd, as they will not have a driving licence." She is, however, quick to add: "But it will add dissatisfaction to students who will miss the wagon by a whisker. And it might add pressure to perform," admits Ruchi. Other schools are up in outrage. "We are not providing children with right values through such steps. Everyone despises materialism and is trying to keep the young generation away from it, but such incentives will end that initiative," says Vandana Puri, Principal, Salwan Public School, Rajinder Nagar.