In a few months, if you come across a student of Cotton Hill Girls’ Higher Secondary school in the capital who greets you with ‘Zdravstvuyte’ (‘Hello’ in Russian), don’t be surprised. Chances are that she may be a classmate of Olga from Russia, who is all set to join Class IX in the school, in a little over a month’s time, stated a report in The New Indian Express.
The teachers of Cotton Hill School are excited to receive Olga, who is the first foreign student to enter the school’s rolls. Olga is also perhaps the first Russian student to join the state’s public education sector as well. Olga and her mother Yulia, who prefer to go by their first names, had visited dozens of schools in the capital that follow various syllabi before zeroing in on Cotton Hill School.
“More than the physical infrastructure and syllabus, my prime focus was the environment in which my child would study. The visits to the so-called leading private schools did not match the expectations. However, a couple of visits to the Cotton Hill School made us realise that this was the ideal institution that could offer all-round development for Olga,” Yulia told TNIE.
Yulia, who works as a translator in Technopark here, is familiar with Kerala and its culture for the past five years. Till now, Olga had been pursuing her education under the Russian syllabus through online mode. With Yulia deciding to stay put in Kerala permanently, it was time for Olga to switch over to the state’s education system.
“A school has much more to offer a student beyond the usual classroom hours. Cotton Hill School has students from all strata of society and would help Olga understand local culture better. Besides, the institution also gives a lot of encouragement for extra-curricular activities.” Yulia said adding that Olga plays the guitar and also loves singing.
According to Rajesh Babu V, Principal Head Master of Cotton Hill School, a foreign student opting to study in a government school is indeed an endorsement of the quality of state’s public education system. Olga may find achieving proficiency in Malayalam and Hindi tough. However, she would be able to manage with extra help from the teachers, he said.
“There is a provision for students to opt for Special English and General Knowledge in the SSLC examination as alternatives to English and Hindi. But that may not be necessary going by Olga’s resolve to master both languages within the limited time,” Rajesh said.
