International or Local?
Weather: Cloudy
Mood: Thoughtful
Should we send our children to international schools, or get them accustomed to the local educational system? This question has been haunting my hubby and me ever since we have relocated to Shanghai.
We went around the city to check out the international schools and we found that the fees charged are ridiculously high. The average annual fee for a student is about 160,000RMB or US$21,000. We are referring to school fees, excluding miscellaneous expenditures, for students in the level from Nursery to Primary 3. And although the school fees are expensive, the more reputable ones have long waiting list of students waiting to get a placement.
In the end, my husband and I decided to send our children to a reputable local private school. However, after more than a year, when my boy is of age to enter Primary education, the question came back to haunt us again as the current local school that our children are studying in stopped at Kindergarten level. So... should we let our boy continue to study in a local school, or move him to an international school? Personally, I prefer to let him continue in a local school since the Chinese curriculum is a lot tougher. I am thinking that if my boy can cope with the local educational system, I believe he can cope anywhere else. But my boy pleaded for us to send him to an English-speaking school instead. I guess having spoken English at home since young, he is more comfortable to study in English.
As liberal parents, we decided to give in to our boy's request. Ultimately, we needed our children to enjoy their learning years. We registered our children in an international school which we find creditable. My girl was lucky and she was offered a place in Nursery quite soon. My boy is still on the waiting list to be placed in Level 1.
Hopefully by putting my children into International Schools, we are making a right decision.
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