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The Dilemma of ‘To Board or Not to Board’

Should you put your child into a boarding school?


The word ‘boarding’ evokes very strong reactions, both positive and negative, from most people. The feelings evoked are usually related to either one’s personal experience or perceptions formed from unconfirmed reports. We request parents to put aside their personal prejudices for some time and read on to experience the amazing boarding experience on offer from Gems Akademia International School (GAIS) - Kolkata for their children.

Fewer Distractions

GAIS Boarding students can focus better on their studies and extracurricular activities because access to Mobile, Internet, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Television, Video games and other distracters are very limited. A supervised and ideal academic environment helps GAIS students to concentrate on studies and extracurricular activities properly and achieve success and excellence in their life.

 Parents & Their Hectic Schedules

With an ever-increasing number of families where both parents are very busy or in responsible positions at work, managing hectic work schedules and home; life becomes quite challenging. The burden of arranging tutors for children, arranging for transport to ferry them from classes and recreational opportunities, birthday parties, uncertain domestic help to look after your home and children can cause a lot of stress that ultimately affects the home environment. A weekly or full boarding school is a good solution to those parents who cannot devote too much or quality time to the child, or who are living in an area that lacks good schools and is not conducive to bringing up a child.

The option of GAIS weekly boarding is worth considering, where the focus is to help towards creating quality family time at home on weekends. GAIS boarding gives your child after-school supervised access to the library, laboratories, computers and constant assistance from teaching staff and house parents while they work on their homework, coursework or projects. In short, rather than spending time commuting to school, your child could be doing more meaningful things like exercising in the morning to improve his/her well being, pursuing his/her passion for sports, music, dance, art or spending quality academic and fun time with peers and teachers, leading to overall development and growth. When boarding pupils are at home during weekends or holidays, time spent together as a family becomes real quality time, with everyone appreciating each other’s company more.

Intrinsic Discipline

One very vital function that is performed by a boarding school is that of inculcating discipline with a sense of responsibility. GAIS Boarding follows well laid out timetables and children are expected to be punctual for all the activities such as morning exercises, meals, academic and prep classes, sports and extracurricular activities. GAIS Boarding helps young people become more independent, self-reliant and intrinsically motivated.

Learning Independence

Strong social skills are an excellent byproduct of life in a boarding school. Students develop maturity and independence, overcome limiting fears and shyness and create lifelong friendships at GAIS Boarding. Students don’t just have to manage their own affairs, they learn how to live and deal with other people. Boarding school is a transformative experience in learning to communicate with others, something a lot of people don’t get until college, if at all. GAIS boarders mature quickly and tend to be very independent and successful in college and life.

Quality Academics

High quality academics is one of the universal aspects of boarding schools. They have a well-deserved reputation for expecting excellence from students and for producing students with self discipline, keen intellectual development and uniquely sound work and study skills. GAIS Boarding has smaller class strengths and draws highly qualified, passionate instructors. GAIS Boarding also offers supervised evening study periods to make sure that children have access to homework help if they need it. This also enables teachers to be able to concentrate on each individual student and any student who is lagging behind can be given the appropriate guidance. Moreover, students can also interact with the teachers and approaching them is easy as they are available on campus throughout the day.

Sports & Extracurricular Activities

There's a lot more to boarding school than just academics. GAIS boarding has excellent infrastructure for sports & extracurricular activities. All students are encouraged to take part in multiple sports and extracurricular activities. GAIS has integrated its school sports and physical education platform with a vision to make young Akademians healthier and fitter. Apart from these, there are top notch music and drama programs, extracurricular clubs and free time to hang out with fellow students, learn from peers and grow together.

A Home Away from Home

The days of uncomfortable beds, cold showers, a punishing environment and dull routine are long past.  GAIS Boarding provides extremely comfortable living accommodation with power showers, caring house parents and personal study space in well furnished air conditioned dormitories as well as common rooms with flat screen TVs, comfortable seating, relaxation opportunities and a chance to develop lifelong friendships across cultures.

Boarding school comes with a built-in social life, which means that your children will be living with their friends – a recipe not just for good fun but for learning important interpersonal skills. The grooming at GAIS will ensure that your child grows into a well groomed, presentable and articulate young girl or boy. Boarding school students are known to graduate with exceptional character and demeanor. They reside in a community where traits such as honesty, respect and hard work are valued and emphasized.

Staying in Touch

Frequent interactions through weekly phone calls, email and Skype make regular communication between young Akademians and home easy. GAIS Parents are encouraged to engage fully in their child’s education, and the school welcomes parents to various school events also. Daily updates on the GAIS Parent Portal and online reports keep parents fully informed of their child’s educational progress.

Fluency in English

Students whose first language is not English often become fluent in English in three or four semesters through language immersion at GAIS. Those who stay in boarding school for at least three or four years typically become bilingual, meaning they can read, write and speak two languages. Bilingual students possess a valuable skill that gives them a significant advantage in the domestic and international workforce.

 In conclusion, the option of GAIS boarding is about access to a breadth of opportunity, building confidence, leadership skills and independence, learning a sense of community and cultural understanding, as well as full parental involvement through communication and a partnership between school and parents. Far from ‘sending’ their children away to school, parents who ‘choose’ GAIS are making a decision to invest in the opportunity to explore their child’s full potential, as we offer a range of Day as well as Boarding (full/weekly) options to suit every need of the child and family.