Tribe Desi, Vol. 231: Hyper-parenting | Dumbing down the IITs?

vol 231| Jan 16, 2011| Pure.Desi.Unfiltered Signup | View in a Browser | |    REFLECTIONS Dumbing-down and hyper-parenting...did you ever think you would know these words, leave aside using them in a sentence together relating to South Asians? Well, recent news relating to both these terms, as well as the thought process in most South Asians can help us understand. First, have you heard of Kota, Rajasthan in India? Chances are you haven't - but that small, sleepy town has been transformed into the power-coaching center for India's entrance exams for institutions like the IITs. The entrance exam (JEE) is brutally competitive, with around 300,000 students applying for roughly 4,600 seats - but once you are in, and manage to graduate with decent grades, you are almost guaranteed a rosy future (for more on IIT life and pressures, read Chetan Bhagat's "Five Point Someone", on which the movie "Three Idiots" was based...) So what do most parents do? they send their children to Kota's cramming factories to focus on the entrance exams - "Kota draws thousands of students from all over the country who enroll in institutes to prepare for IIT-JEE. " Your ticket to your dream IIT" reads the logo of one of the leading coaching institutes in Kota. An IIT aspirant who comes to town is told not to worry about Class XII board exams conducted by the CBSE. Coaching institutes tell students that they will be admitted in local secondary school they have tie- ups with, where attending classes is optional..." However, this practice has come under fire recently, leading to talk about dumbing-down of IITs... So how is this related to hyper-parenting? A recent article in the WSJ, with a provocative headline of "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior", about Amy Chua's "Tiger Mother" book set it off. Essentially the book describes her ways of raising her two daughters in a very strict manner - like calling them "garbage" or threatening to throw out their dollhouse if they did not do their tasks - and compares her methods and results to the "Western" mothers. This flies in the face of typical parenting, where the counsel is " Stop scheduling every free moment in your child's life. Stop putting academic achievements and athletic accomplishments ahead of relationships and character. Stop the cycle of competing and comparing.." So does Amy Chua shock us? There are similarities between Amy Chua, Kota factories, and us - we have to make our own decisions on how and how far we are involved in the children's future... Till next time! The DFW Desi Don't miss The Silk Threads Spring Trunk Show - Jan 20, from 3-7 pm. RSVP here. CULTURE Why Chinese Mothers are Superior   Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do: � attend a sleepover � have a playdate � be in a school play � complain about not being in a school play � watch TV or play computer games � choose their own extracurricular activities � get any grade less than an A � not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama � play any instrument other than the piano or violin Read the full story CULTURE What kind of Chinese Mother is Amy Chua?  Ever since an excerpt of Amy Chua's new book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother appeared in the Wall Street Journal�under the provocative title "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior"�people have been asking lots of questions: Is Chua insane? Are her kids going to be insane? And should I be trying her methods in my own home? But as the daughter of a Chinese mother myself�and, like Chua, the first American-born child of two Asian immigrants�I've got another question. Just what kind of Chinese mother is Amy Chua? read on... SOCIETY Dumbing down of the IITs "JEE has spawned a system that reduces young people to automatons. Gone are the sparkling eyes and scintillating talks that used to be a teacher's joy." B.N. Banerjee IIT Kanpur professor... read on... 18,000+ active members. To advertise here, please email desi@TribeDesi.com