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SCHOOL CHOICE DECISION MAKING AMONG PARENTS IN INDIA
Parents often strive at providing the best opportunities, ample chances for success and a holistic development for their children. They want the best in life for their children. Choosing the right school is a priority as it implies that as parents, they would be putting their children on a prolonged convoluted pathway of wisdom. The pathway thus, requires to be chosen judiciously and reasonably. It is indeed always simpler said than done.

CONTENTS

1. Overview 2. Some of the factors Affecting School Choice Decision-Making Among Parents 2.1 Scholarly Quality 2.2 The Education Board 2.3 Private versus Public School 2.4 Fees 2.5 Proximity 2.6 Infrastructure 2.7 Philosophy and Reputation 2.8 Highly Trained Professionals and Teacher-Student Ratio 2.9 Role of Media 3. References

OVERVIEW
The word “choice” has been defined as an act of choosing between two or more possibilities. The idea of “school choice” envisages an institutional framework which is not very rigid or firmly regulated and administered. Parents are one of the prime stakeholders of the education system who are given the liberty and innumerable choices to hand-pick from. This fosters fierce cut-throat competition among the educational institutions since parents by exerting "school choice" helps to do away with the less desired ones. The idea in itself, presumes a state of mindfulness and an unparalleled sense of awareness on the part of the parents.

Decision-making process and exercising of school choice among parents consist of various independent and interrelated factors. With the ever thriving and altering educational landscape where a growing menu of options is available, parents in India are actively engaged in this dynamic scene.

2.1 SCHOLARLY QUALITY
One of parents’ primary concerns while choosing a school is scholarly quality. Scholastic quality includes numerous components - a school that has a pragmatic and action based educational program with content picked not just for its pertinence to advanced education and occupations, but for the community development and individual improvement.

2.2 THE EDUCATION BOARD
This element concerns an extremely crucial role in the school choice decision- making process. Parents often find themselves in a state of conflict and face hurdles in the process when it comes to selecting schools based on the educational board that it is affiliated with – CBSE/ICSE/STATE/IGCSE/ IB (International Baccalaureate).The board of the school determines the curriculum, syllabus and structure of the school.

2.3 PRIVATE VERSUS GOVERNMENT SCHOOL
Private versus government funded school banter appears to be a story as old as time, since individuals have contended for a considerable length of time about their points of interest and downsides. Parents often prefer quality academic instructions and are happy to pay for it. Apart from the educational cost charges, parents also have to splurge significantly on textbooks, uniforms, etc. which is not the case in government schools. Yet, parents are ready to take that extra effort because they prefer quality education which they perceive to exist likely in private schools.

2.4 FEES
The fee structure of the school plays an extremely dominant role in choosing a school for the children. Parents belonging to an affluent social, economic background can afford to pay an exorbitant amount of fees and choose the best educational system among a broad range of alternatives for their children. On the other hand,parents who are financially unsound, can only select schools that are within their budget.

2.5 PROXIMITY
One of the criteria that have been on the list of every parent is the commute distance. Some parents are extremely particular about the school being really close by, and some are not so particular if the transportation is taken care of. However, parents who have a lack of resources and are not economically sound have a limited number of choices. They often tend to opt for schools that are closer to their surroundings.

2.6 INFRASTRUCTURE
While choosing a school, parents would most likely take a decision keeping the infrastructure in mind. Parents attach great importance to a properly planned school infrastructure, where they are provisions of well ventilated classrooms, playgrounds, libraries, laboratory, sanitation facilities, etc.

2.7 PHILOSOPHY AND REPUTATION
The philosophy and reputation of the school influences the decision making- process. A good reputation of a school helps to attract the attention of the parents and also enables the school to distinguish itself from others.

2.8 QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS AND TEACHER-STUDENT RATIO
The provision of highly trained teachers who are specialized in their respective pedagogy could also be an important factor. A quality school, where the teachers move beyond traditional methods of teaching and incorporate innovative and interesting strategies to make the entire learning process more effective. Parents when selecting a school also takes into consideration the teacher-student ratio. A low teacher student ratio enables the teacher to give individual attention to the needs of every child in the class.

2.9 MEDIA
Digital media plays a pivotal role in influencing the thought process and behavior of parents. Media is a powerful tool where any messages can be conveyed through fractions of seconds. The media can manipulate, influence, persuade and pressurize the parents both in a positive or negative way.