I Did Not Go to a Fancy English School, But Look at Me Now!

Where You Start Does Not Define Where You Go

Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash

Schools in India come in various shapes and standards.

At the bottom of the ladder are government schools...they usually teach in Hindi or regional languages.What they teach there is the bare minimum to pass exams and survive.

Then we have the regional-medium private schools. In my state, that is Bengali.

These schools don’t switch to English, but the education quality takes a noticeable leap compared to government institutions.

Then, there are the "English Medium" schools.

Let me tell you beforehand, there’s nothing to get too excited...English medium school doesn’t mean they are teaching students Shakespearen English or training in Victorian level English.

It is just that the textbooks are in English, and ideally, students are expected to grasp the subjects in English too.

That’s the kind of school I went to.

My mother was very particular about this. She did not care if the school wasn't the most elite or well-known...what mattered was that I should understand and use English.