cirsalumni
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Joined: November 5, 2005
Posts: 1
#566
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THIS BLOG HAS BEEN SETUP FOR THE READER TO KNOW OF THE VIEWS THAT ALUMNI & PARENTS HAVE SHARED OF Chinmaya International Residential School, Coimbatore.
The Alumni Association personally thanks alumni and parents for expressing their views and shall keep adding more views as available
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Hello Sir/Madam
I was a student of CIRS from the year 1996 to 2000. I was in 7th grade when I joined the school and ever since I owe a lot to what the school has given me.
Here is what I feel about my school
1. Cleanliness was never a complaining issue to me. I remember our dormitories and the toilets being cleaned twice or thrice in a day.
Now, this is a hostel. And I think we better look at it as a hoStel and not a hotel. I dont think it is really an issue of having or not having a soap in the toilet. For that matter even if once in a while a kid forgets the soap in his room, there isnt any harm in getting it without touching other belongings. I am assuming that you surely dont have your soapcase BURRIED somehwre in your cupboard.
If you are talking about the bacteria and the germs spreading around the room, then think about your kid playing in mud or soil in rainy days. For that matter even walking in mud would bring the bacteria and germs sticking at the bottom of your shoes.
There are many more such examples where you could have your kid collecting germs rather than some other kid specifically forgetting the toilet soap and your kid taking the germs in.
I supposedly think that the toilet and soap issue was hyped a bit too much.
2. The FOOD:
I am not saying that as a kid when I came back home I never had complaints about the food. No kid likes the hostel food. But It is not that I realise that the food which was served there was a healthy balanced diet and if not the perfect one. The friuts which were given were in enough quantity and if a child required more, then he wasnt brutally denied from it (considering the availability). Yes there were restrictions on certain food items which ought to be there. I again emphasize that this is a hostel mess and not a restaurent.
Staying there for four years I definately had improoved my health. The teachers and matrons there took care of what we ate and whether we ate the healthy food or not.
The quality, quantity and the variety of food provided there shouldnt be complained about at all.
3. The ACCOUNTS
I come from a middle class Indian family and my dad is a service person.
I would not like to comment much on this issue as this part was mostly unknown to me. It was handled by my parents and to be truthful I did not know for the first 2 years how much fees we paid.
But yes, the part on children being charged for the stationary. I do agree with the children being charged for their stationary. As you cant keep an amount fixed that this kid will get this much or a number. As students of different grades have different requirements. Also the writing habits differ.
If none of the students are being charged for the stationary, then who should be charged? All that stationary brought has to be given an account also. So it is a fair way to charge for it in individual student basis.
Also I think the school fee structure clearly mentions that it includes Tution, Hostel and Mess charges only.
If only this is true then: I do consider the part of stealing on your behalf. This was surely not there when I was in school (even that time we had seperate stationary for students). But again here the students are to be blaimed. I am sure there must be steps taken to avoid this.
But blaiming the school policy of distributing individual stationary isnt any reason for stealing amongst the kids.
Now, this space really isnt enough for me to write about CIRS and what I did and saw there for four years. May be it is enough for someone who spent only half a term there.
If you have got any queries or questions about CIRS you can personally mail the alumni (www.cirsalumni.com) or even contact me on rahul_bapat@rediffmail.com
I apologise if I have become to offensive in this comment, but surely it is out of pride and the love for the school I have.
Regards,
Rahul Bapat.
(Passed out Std. 10th - Year 2000)
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balefire88 said...
As a former CIRS student, I have mixed feelings after reading this blog. I have rather pleasant memories of my time there, and have always considered it a very good school. However, my father did mention to me in passing that he had some difficulties with the administration there. As far as my memory serves, it was about a refund. I will talk to my father to get more details about the situation. Please do not take this as an indictment of the school.I believe every organization has administrative problems. Without good evidence on the number of parents who have allegedly been denied proper refunds or service on certain issues, it is easy to make accusations, on both sides.
As a side note, I'd like to say that as a parent, it is possible the blogger in question is more affected by the events that occured concerning his daughter. There may also have been a building up of frustration as he seems to have many discrete complaints that built up over time. However, I feel that the user gmbh is very incorrect to belittle the parent, and to use obscenities in his argument. By doing so, you shame the very schooling that the school gave us. Please try to consider that you, as well as I, do not know all the facts, and do not let emotions override your sense of propreity and moral judgement.
There is also the fact that the events the blogger has described has happened rather recently. I was in CIRS a great many years ago, and I cannot speak to the conditions among the students now. When I was a student, there was very little stealing or bullying going on. Of course, it is impossible to get bullying out of the school system completely. Children do not fully grasp the need to treat others with respect, and I feel that not all adults have a firm grasp on this concept either. I do remember one kid who quit the school because of problems he was having with the matron, who I disliked as well. The need to be with my family, and dislike of the matron, also led me to leave the school earlier than was anticipated. However, I still love the school a great deal, and if I could relive my life, would definitely go back there for those years.
I sincerely hope the CIRS Alumni association can help get to the bottom of this, as their involvement and pride in their school is extremely high. Good luck to all in resolving this very painful issue.
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said...
I got to know of this article after being contacted by the Alumni Association of CIRS. Therefore, i thought i would also make my own comment.
my son studied from grade 6 through 10 followed by IB. During this period i observed tremendous growth & development at CIRS in terms of sports, discipline, academics, cultural activities and their administration.
Before enrolling my son at the school i was in a double mind. It was only after meeting various people in the Chinmaya Mission and some devotees that i understood the strengths of the running of CIRS.
Over the years they have adopted sophisticated systems as mentioned earlier, but, when my son went to CIRS they weren't all that organised in terms of their administrative capabilities. they were not able to inform me in detail of expenses and where the money was being expended. By the time my son graduated they were able to tell me details on every expense and provided evidance with my son's signature.
I got the caution deposit i paid them at a time when they were totally unorganised.
As one of the students mentioned earlier its not a hotel its a boarding school where lifes not supposed to be easy. I never had issues with hygiene at the school as i personally was there on odd days at times and have witnessed their levels of hygiene in their kitchens as well as the dormitories being cleaned twice a day. That's something i didnt see in many of the schools i looked out to as an option.
in terms of food, the comment listed earlier should suffice but let me make it clearer as i had the same complaint as the blogger and understood the problem on inquiry: sometimes the kids eat allot and sometimes very less resulting in a very high level of demand or low level. As CIRS is a residential school and not a hotel they try to strike a balance between the varying demands of the children.
infact for the case of "jain kids" who fast during a 10 day period or so, the school specifically caters to making special food for them. Then there used to be about 20-30 jain kids against 250 or so. today i suppose the number is larger on both sides.
The snacks given to the children were horrible at one time. my son used to avoid eating the evening snacks and HOT bournvita after having a long game. I'm informed by alumni and a student i met that today they serve tang and other drinks thats are cool and refreshing with a variety of snacks ranging from noodles to samosas. This is something i didnt find in any of the residential schools when looking for my son.
when u spoke of bullying and ragging, i must mention to you that even in day schools in mumbai it occurs and has reduced due to a legal provision, and there are horrbile instances at some of the nations best universities and intsitutes.
With regards to the visas, all international students who came at the time, ensured that their visas were valid during the course of the academic year at CIRS. well i wouldn't blame a person charging you a premium to get the job done if you didn't ensure visa validity.
And stationery, my son did spend a lot on it. as rightly mentioned by rahul bapat in his comment earlier on the needs of students vary by class and handwriting. Despite yelling at my son for buying so much stationery today i appreciate his handwriting. In my own business its impossible to keep a restriction of employees use of stationery and your looking at residential schools catering to over 400 children.
i got my money back, my son completey a different person in terms of control over his temper, iiritability and cultural knowledge(unique featuer at CIRS).
I HAVE NO REGRETS AT ALL
shyamlal shah
ps: a reminder - i dont think it would be right to compare CIRS to other non-residential IB Schools and schools that have been around for over a 100 years. in the 6 years my son was there, i must say CIRS has come a long way in a short time.
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anonymous said...
I recently graduated from CIRS this year. The school has recently been going through difficult times. I was there when practically 5 - 6 principles came and went. But i am extremely gratelful to that school although recent experiences with that school have not been good.
I was an NRI in the school and i was treated just fine money wise. The school was great when i was in grade 11 when Mr. Anurag Sangal was the principal. However, i must state that there has been severe politics within the higher positions in that school. Our batch had been unfortunate to be there during that period but we count ourselves highly fortunate to have gone to that school.
With Mr. Sangal leading the school now, i believe the school can be brought back to what it was before and it is unfair to go telling other parents not to put their kids in that school. Every student graduated from that school are now in top colleges and universities all over the world. The school offers quality education and if just a few beds and plates cause worries, then NRIs should not come leaving their comfort and luxury and pampering behind!
I hope this situation is resolved quickly and terms are reached at both ends.
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EXCERPTS from the message of the Presidents of CIRS Alumni Association
CIRS has come a long way and this is the 10th year of educating students. At first, there were very few systems in place against today where they can tell you over the phone on email of the detailed expenses of a student. Despite this, there have been parents who have faced problems - financial, disciplinary and eduation of their children. However, their issues were always looked after by the respective authorities to satisfaction.
As fas as the QUALITY LEVELS are concerned let me cite a health provision:
"previously students were served with coffee/tea at breakfast, which shall now be stopped. Instead fresh seasonal fruit juices shall be served." "the serving of Coke/aerated drinks shall be reduced and fresh juices shall be provided at the tuck shops as well." These restrictions were placed given the exposure to caffeine and tetrafeine at a tender age.
However, students of the IB are given Coffee accompanied by biscuits post-dinner given their late night study schedule.
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We who send / have sent our children to a Residential School do so as adults, and our goal is to make our children winners capable of facing challeneges of the 21 st century.
If one wants a school with luxury & variety, with POLICEMEN TO GUARD EVERY CHILD'S BELONGINGS AND to MINISTER TO ALL FOOD TASTES, one should go to SUCH INSTITUTIONS, they will NOT COST NOT Rs. 125,000 but USD 125,000. And you get racist inferiority complex - no special charges for that!
I have seen personally the School develop from Day One for the first seven years, staying in contact with most of our co parents, and we have seen the children of our times blossom into budding success stories. there are exceptions, and the mistakes made and amended. Our views expressed were RESPECTED & CONSIDERED - accepted or rejected on value. Of course there will be some deficiencies, but the important thing is you are heard !
We believed then and we know now that CIRS delivers the VISION OF THE LATE GURUDEV , and Swamiji Tejomanandji is approachable by anyone - from leper to millionaire, from sweet kids to naughty ones, by and large assuage the complainant, and investigate mischief if any.
"A SCHOOL IS JUDGED BY THE QUALITY OF STUDENTS IT DELIVERS TO SOCITEY."
We who were the parents of the pioneer batches helped build a great institution, and ITS ALUMNI IS THE EVIDANCE - they got admissions to the best universities, did well IN university education and are budding leadders of Society.
If you want your kid to be one with WINNING INSTINCT, combining tradiition and modernity, send your kid to CIRS !
I SENT MY SON [GRADE 6-10+IB] & IM A PROUD PARENT.
A.K. MARFATIA
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HI, i just want to say something that changed for me when i was at CIRS
Sports - cricket, a sport i was average at playing - i had considerably improved. i found my talents in Soccer and Hockey and replresented the school at various levels.
Spirituality - from the maabharat to gurudevs art of man making, theyve changed the person in me - the way i think.
Academics - was not so good at it but after CIRS i had developed a keen interest for accounts and a few other subjects.
Friends - Despite having most of my closest friends at home, some of them are few of the people i value. Today i know so many people around the globe and enjoy catching up once in a while.
Due to personal problems, i had to drop out of University and get into the Business world, although i felt devastated some of the teachings at school helped me recover and move on.
IF GIVEN A CHANCE, ID LOVE TO GO BACK TO CIRS - RELIVE THOSE MEMORIES.
V. Thakkar, Mumbai
holyprem@hotmail.com
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___the original views can be found on another blog on this website___
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The school has its own Alumni Association, run completely independant.
WEBSITE - www.cirsalumni.com (under maintainance)
OR simply reply to this blog.
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