LKG Admission at Bishop Cotton Girls' School. Review on Bishop Cotton Girls School, Bangalore

This is with regards to my daughters LKG admission process for the academic year 2009-10.

The application forms cost Rs. 500.00 and it should be got at the Indian Bank branch next to Bishop Cotton Girls School in Bangalore.

I am not sure on what basis the admissions are granted to applicants. The application form itself is very poorly designed. There is not enough space to even write the home address. This was my first impression of this highly prestigious educational institution. But due to lack of other quality schools in Bangalore, my wife and I were stuck without any other options.

The list of students who are admitted to LKG was displayed on the School's notice board on March 4, 2009. My daughter made the list. The students were asked to meet the principal along with their parents on March 9, 11 and 12, 2009 between 10 AM and 12:30 PM. The notice board also said that a fee of Rs. 58400.00 had to be paid by March 20, 2009. So my daughter and I went to the school on Wednesday, March 11, 2009. This is when the true colours of the school were starting to get exposed. We were given tokens and our token number was 9. We sat in the lobby waiting for our turn to arrive.

The families with token numbers 1 to 6 went in to meet the principal, Mrs. Princess Franklin, and left. After token number 6, token number 15 was called ahead of token number 7. I thought it was a mistake and went and asked the Principal's Secretary if it was right. She bluntly said, "The principal will explain, do you want to talk to the principal?” I replied, "Sure". She disappeared into the Principal's office, then came back and told me to wait for my turn.

Meanwhile token number 15 left. From nowhere another family appeared and they went into the Principal's office ahead of number 7. I was really irritated now. This is a Wednesday, I am taking time during my business day to come to this prestigious school and the school is just ignoring their own token system. I asked the Secretary what was going on and she bluntly replied again that the principal would explain later! I was really irritated now, but kept quiet and waited for my turn.

The family from nowhere, who went ahead of token number 7 were inside the Principal's office for about 15 minutes and finally left.

After that token number 7 and 8 were called, and they left after meeting the Principal. Now it was our time to meet the Principal, Mrs. Princess Franklin. As soon as we went inside, I said, "Good Morning ma'am". She did not bother to wish me back. With a very serious face she asked me where my wife was and I told her that she couldn't make it. Then she started yelling at me. Yes, you heard it, YELLING at the top of her voice. Apparently she did not like me complaining about 2 families meeting her ahead of their token numbers. She had a made a mistake and somebody had questioned it. She started yelling so that I would not embarrass her.

Then she said that the family from nowhere was the family of a guy who worked in the Income Tax Department. It was quite obvious from her words that he was a VIP and had to be given preferential treatment. All this she told me, YELLING at the top of her voice. Apparently I am an unprivileged commoner and I don't have any rights in this democratic country to complain about this injustice. How ridiculous?

Her yelling stirred up my anger. But thank God, I was able to keep it under control. I calmly asked her, "Will the children of VIPs always get preferential treatment at Bishop Cotton Girls?". Of course, she did not like my question and she was now totally out of control. She threw the admission letter of my daughter in front of me and YELLED "GO GO GO". She wanted me to just leave her office. She had had enough of me already. Period!

Now I decided to put some fear into her. Rising from my chair, I calmly told her, "I am going to the press ma'am. I am going to report everything that happened here today". Saying that, I left with my terrified 3 year old daughter, who had just witnessed some hardcore yelling by a "Principal"!

I went to the Book Store where a tailor was waiting to get measurements for uniform for my daughter. The uniform costs Rs. 400 and for 4 year olds we need 3 or 4 sets of uniforms. That is Rs. 1200 or 1600, just for tailor made uniforms!

On my drive back home with my daughter, I got a call from the Presbyter of the CSI Church where we have our membership. He asked me what had happened at the school. I was shocked. He told me that he got a call from the school and asked me if I was going to the press. It immediately dawned on me that my "fear tactic" worked. Mrs. Princess Franklin doesn't want her name on the newspapers or TV channels.

Apparently many people are going to read about this terrible incident now. Too bad Mrs. Franklin!

Sure enough, we got our daughter admitted at Baldwin Girls.