10 hours ago
Techie couple working in US admit son in ZP Marathi school to connect to roots
Kolhapur: A woman software engineer working in the US with her husband on Monday enrolled her seven-year-old son, Vihan, in a zilla parishad school in Sangli district's Atpadi to learn Marathi, his mother tongue.
Vihan will live with his maternal uncle and attend school with his cousins.
Vihan's mother, Bharati Vijaykumar Shelke, told TOI that the boy was studying in a North Carolina-based school, where where the neighbourhood primarily consisted of English-speaking residents. "At the start, he could speak a few words in Marathi. But we were shocked to see him forgetting his mother tongue as he grew older. We wanted him to learn Marathi and felt this was the right age for it.
We chose a ZP Marathi school for its focus on quality education and fewer distractions.
My brother's daughters are already studying there, and seeing them thrive made up our minds," she said.
Bharati's husband, Vijaykumar, has been working in the US as a software engineer for around 15 years. She moved to the US after her marriage in 2016. The couple have two sons, with another just two-year-old. Vijaykumar holds an L1 visa, allowing him to work temporarily in the US due to an intra-company transfer from their foreign office, while Bharati holds and L2 visa, which allows the spouse and unmarried children (under 21 years old) of an L1 visa holder to enter and stay in the US.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Enpal zahlt jedem Hausbesitzer bis zu 2.000€ jährlich, wenn...
Enpal | Solaranlage fürs Dach
Undo
"There is still one-and-a-half years for the termination of the visa. We may decide to come back to India depending on situations, such as promotion. We explored other options like online tutoring for Vihan in the Marathi language, but it lacked the actual experience of learning," Bharati said.
The couple first stayed in New York state and moved to Charlotte in North Carolina about a year back, where Vihan finished his first grade at a local school.
Homeopath Umesh Balte, the maternal uncle of Vihan, said, "I shifted my twin daughters from a private school to a ZP school due to a lack of quality teachers. Now, they've improved significantly. My nephew Vihan will join them in Std II."
Bharati visited India during summer vacation and planned to stay with her brother temporarily, working from home, but might return to the US if needed. Meanwhile, her son Vihan would stay in India to connect with his roots, and she would take him back to the US later.
The ZP Marathi shala in Atpadi has gained recognition for its students' success in talent search exams, attracting parents who previously opted for private schools. "Our teachers are student-friendly and focus on excellence in competitive exams. We're seeing a surge in admissions, with 90 students joining Std I this year, up from 60 last year. Notably, 20-25 students have shifted from private schools to our school.
We've also upgraded infrastructure with LED projectors and educational tools like math-learning toys," Sangli ZP block education officer Jagannath Kolape said.
