Jyotsana Sheth is hunting for a new
bhajiwala
and
doodhwala
. After living in Thane for 20 years, she has moved to a rented apartment in Andheri for two years to be close to her daughter’s college and coaching class.
Her daughter Janki topped the ICSE exam last year and is preparing for the IIT-JEE.
“It was difficult uprooting ourselves,” said Sheth, an LIC agent who now has to commute an hour to work.
“Our relatives live in Thane. We had our own house there. But it is worth it for the sake of quality education.”
Like Sheth, many middleclass families are moving to areas better suited to their children’s academic needs, despite the inconveniences.
“I need my parents during this time,” said Abhishek Padnanban, a Class 12 student and IIT aspirant, whose family also moved to Andheri from Thane. “Now, college and coaching class are walking distance from home.”
Coaching classes see this trend among parents of good students. “Families have shifted from Dubai because their children are studying for the IIT,” said Praveen Tyagi, managing director of IITian Pace, a coaching class.
Not everyone thinks this is a healthy trend. “It is a onedimensional education that began in Mumbai with the craze over the Latur pattern,” said Dr Snehalata Deshmukh, former vice chancellor of Mumbai university.
{{/usCountry}}Not everyone thinks this is a healthy trend. “It is a onedimensional education that began in Mumbai with the craze over the Latur pattern,” said Dr Snehalata Deshmukh, former vice chancellor of Mumbai university.
{{/usCountry}}This trend is not limited to higher education. Anik Jain will soon move from a threebedroom flat in Kanjurmarg to a smaller apartment in Santacruz so his two-year-old can study in an international school. “The rent is almost double. But it is important that my child gets into a reputed school,” he said.