Birla Public School, an Indian community school in Doha, seems to have welcomed more students than it can comfortably manage. So much so, that the management suddenly decided to shift some students’ classes to a later time, starting at 9:30 AM. But is this really the best solution? It’s September, and the heat is still relentless. Imagine waiting around in the morning sun at 9:30 for the bus! The usual 7:15 AM start has been pushed back. What does a child do with those extra hours?
And what about the parents? Do they juggle their work schedule around this new change? Does anyone consider how inconvenient this might be for working families?
It takes me back to my school days in Hungary in the 1970s, during the peak of a baby boom. Schools overflowed with students, and we had no choice but to rotate between morning and afternoon shifts every two months. We, the 8 or 9-year-olds, felt the weight of it most. Was it fair to us? We hardly saw our friends, barely spent time with family, and the mornings dragged on with only ourselves for company.
Isn't it strange how times have changed in Europe, where too many children is but a distant memory? Yet in India, it seems history repeats itself. Have we learned nothing, or are we all still caught in the same dance, parents and management alike, just trying to make it work?
childhood memories
