Impact of Residential Schools on Overall Student Development

Parents looking to admit their children into boarding schools may find it challenging to sort through the list of top boarding schools in India. By considering the impact of residential schools on students, it will become easier for parents to evaluate the benefits of residential schools. Students go through a significant spiritual, moral, social, mental, emotional and physical transformation when living in the best residential schools in India. It helps in students’ holistic growth and development, facilitating the seamless transformation of students into learned individuals.

Difference between day school and residential school.

The Indian education system is built to empower students and transform young minds by providing them with progressive learning from the early stages of life. Differentiated into two parts- day schools and boarding schools, the Indian education system aims to nurture students by offering them different educational facilities based on their requirements. Day and residential schools are affiliated with educational boards ranging between CBSE, ICSE, IB, and IGCSE. While day schools offer learning for a scheduled number of hours, and students can return to school at the end of the day, boarding schools act as temporary residences for students who stay within the campus premises and get an education.

What is the importance of residential education?

Residential schools are well known for providing high-quality, value-based, modern education enriched with technology in a sound and mentally stimulating environment. The impact of residential schools helps improve their academic learning through the advanced curriculum offered and the emphasis on practical learning compared to traditional theoretical learning. Different residential schools work on different visions but have the same aim of providing holistic academic support to students to encourage them to explore their potential and build on their talents. The advanced management system in residential schools helps foster student-teacher relationships that make it easier for students to lose their sense of shyness, anxiety, or fear and solve their queries.

In what ways did residential schools impact students’ holistic development?

Residential schools allow students to live on campus and take care of their lodging, dining, and academic needs. Students stay in school for a significant amount of time and get to go back to their homes only on weekends or vacations. Therefore, it is the school’s responsibility to look into students’ holistic development.

1. Health– The prime focus of every top residential school in India is to look after students’ health and well-being so that they can study without any medical ailments pulling them down. Healthy eating habits, nutritious diet and physical activities are encouraged to maintain students’ health and prevent diseases.

2. Academics– The curriculum of good residential schools in India aims to offer well-rounded education through new technological innovations, including smart classes and experiential learning. The aim is to nurture the basis of every concept and topic to facilitate practical learning and strengthen the foundational years of education.

3. Global exposure– International residential schools in India stress the importance of global exposure through cultural exchange programmes so that students get a taste of modern culture, learning, and values and imbibe the best. It is vital for students aiming to go abroad for higher education. Exposure to people from different backgrounds and perspectives helps expand students’ mental horizons.

4. Learning opportunities– India’s top residential schools offer different learning opportunities in curricular and extracurricular fields to enhance the holistic development of students. By encouraging students to actively participate in debates, group discussions, annual fests and other curricular activities, residential schools ensure that students’ mental faculties are exercised.

5. Imbibing values and traditions– Students live in residential schools with other peers belonging to different socio-cultural backgrounds. There they learn a lot about different parts of the world, teach the best of their values and perspectives, and learn to cooperate and respect each other in diversity. So students learn to live independently and learn from each other, the staff, and mentors. 

How did the experience of residential schools shape students’ emotional and psychological development?

1. Emotional growth– Students living on campus go through a whirl of negative and positive emotions when living at residential schools. Training them to constructively contain their positive emotions and handle their negative emotions correctly is essential. Feelings of anger, jealousy, and violence are common among students these days, and it is vital to teach students to take them optimistically. Students are put into situations and scenarios where they learn to exercise control and behave disciplined instead of getting outrageous. They also instil emotions of empathy, trust, understanding, patience, and care while living in a social environment.

2. Psychological growth– Residential schools stimulate the cognitive, creative, and critical aspects of the student’s minds. By going through many activities, challenges and tasks in personal and academic life, students learn problem-solving and evaluate their decisions to look for creative and applicable solutions. It helps in exercising the mental facilities. A sound environment helps instil peace in students’ minds and teaches them always to stay calm and relaxed.
   

What impact did residential schools have on students’ cultural identity and sense of self?

The impact of residential schools on cultural identity and individuality helps in growing them socially and personally.

1. Cultural identity– The best boarding schools in India offer a broad cultural diversity where students from different backgrounds engage in academic and social building. Students from different cultures mix up and share their experiences, traditions and customs. They get to interact with others and secure their own identity at the same time. Residential schools are a healthy medium of teaching students to respect every culture and build religious tolerance.

2. Individuality– Residential schools are prime ways to build a child’s personality and transform them into learned, bold, and independent individuals. Students learn to take responsibility for their day-to-day life, improve their decision making and become strong enough to bear the repercussions of their decisions under any fallouts. Boarding schools foster values of honesty, sincerity, empathy, caring, sharing, and perseverance.

In what aspects of social development were students affected by residential schools?

1. Overcoming stage fear– Residential schools prepare students to acknowledge and overcome their social concerns as they grow. While living in a social environment, students learn to come out of their shells and interact with one another. They lose stage fright as the teachers and peers encourage and help pave their way to progress.

2. Communication– Boarding schools boost healthy interaction between peers, mentors and staff. Students learn to polish their verbal and non-verbal communication skills and learn the art of conveying messages correctly. They learn to process, analyse and filter their speech to adapt to a professional background and avoid slang.

3. Leadership– It is widespread for students to form groups when living together, enhancing teamwork and leadership skills. It also helps refine problem-solving abilities as students work together in various curricular and extracurricular group activities.

4. Discipline– A prime advantage of residential school is that it instils discipline in children and keeps them away from distraction or unethical behaviour. The mentors, wardens and staff ensure that students follow the rules on campus premises and work with a routine to make the most use of their day.

These are a few impacts of residential schools on children that encourage parents to get their students into boarding schools.

SKV is a girls’ residential school in India affiliated with the CBSE board to offer high-class education equipped with experiential and progressive learning from class VI onwards.