Swanand Foundation
...Nurturing Gifted Children
[Registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860 vide No. 2062/2010/Pune & under the Bombay Public Trust Act 1950 vide No. F-27476-Pune. Certified for exemption under Sec. 80(G) of the Income Tax Act 1961.]
Frequently Asked Questions
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Does your organisation conduct any coaching classes for
students?
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No. Swanand Foundation is dedicated only for the cause
of early identification of talent and for providing
appropriate information about ways and means to nurture
the talent. Neither do we run, nor do we have
affiliation with, any commercial coaching institutes or
organisations.
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Do you conduct IQ tests for identifying talent?
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No. We rely on the demonstrated abilities of the child
in certain standard examinations as well as the inputs
given by the child's parents and teachers. We may also
interview the child and the parents/teachers and use the
inputs from the interaction to assess the child's talent
and potential. In a few cases we may recommend IQ test
from a standard tesing agency. However, we do not
conduct any IQ tests.
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My daughter is in std. IV. She likes mathematics very
much. She reads, understands and solves Maths books of
even higher standards. But, she is not good at social
sciences and hence gets a very low rank in her
class. Can you advise her?
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In fact, we would first advise you not to worry too much
about her class rank. You should refer to the various
standard examinations listed on our website and let your
daughter appear for them. Depending on her performance
in those exams, you may like to enrol her in the Swanand
Talent Nurture Group. We would also advise you on
various other avenues for her development if you keep in
touch with us in future
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We are uneducated and poor parents from a rural
background, but, our child does very well at school. Can
he hope to become as good as city-bred children from
educated familes?
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Talent and academic brilliance are normally distributed
over the population in rural as well as urban areas. If
your child is talented, he can surely reach great
heights. Your own status or level of education can make
a difference only in terms of availability or lack of
opportunities at the right time. So, you may keep in
touch with us for further guidance and we shall try to
provide your child with the right guidance at the right
time.
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My son is studying in a vernacular medium school. Will
it be difficult for him to face competitive exams later?
Should I put him in an English medium school?
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An intelligent child can pick up English language
reasonably well and cope with competitive examinations
later. Most schools also have a semi-English medium from
std VIII onwards. You can aid his language development
by enabling him to read light fiction and informative
non-fiction books. Changing his school could lead to
undesirable emotional issues and adjustment problems.
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My son is studying in class V in a school following
state board syllabus. Should we change his school and
opt for CBSE/ICSE board?
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You must choose a suitable school which is close to your
home, is affordable and is attended by children from
your socio-economic class. Board and syllabus do not
matter much as long as the child is adequately exposed
to all subjects and is loaded with work commensurate
with his academic potential. If he is able to cope with
his current syllabus, then exposing him to books of
other boards and, if possible, of higher classes will do
him good. If the parents and the child are otherwise
happy with the school, there is no need to change.
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As a teacher I find a few outstanding students good in
studies as well as art, sports etc. But, there is not
much awareness among parents about various career
options. Can you help?
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As a part of our outreach program, we conduct awareness
sessions for parents as well as teachers about different
career options available in India and abroad for
children having different talents. You can organise our
session at your school or through any local
organisation.
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We find that many organisations conduct an aptitude test
before giving career guidance. Why do you not rely on
aptitude tests?
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Our belief is that career choices must be made based on
many inputs rather than the results of some generic
tests.Therefore, we do not conduct aptitude tests. On
the contrary, we rely on the inputs from parents about
the child's interests and abilities. We also draw from
our on-on-one interaction with the child as well as the
parents. We consider the aspirations of the child in
relation with the demonstrated potential; and also the
parents' desires in the light of their socio-economic
conditions. This gives us the complete picture before we
suggest suitable career options.
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How is your career guidance service different from that
offered by other organisations?
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The main difference is that we are a not-for-profit NGO,
interested in overall development of talented
children. While giving guidance, we consider all the
inputs and also discuss practical aspects of the
possible career choices with the parents and the
child. In a few cases, we also have to counsel the child
and/or the parents and make them modify their
aspirations to suit the other factors. Children, at
that age, are quite mouldable. If advised properly, they
can be be guided onto the most appropriate path which
can save them from becoming 'career misfits' at a later
stage.