Indians in UK head home to study

The empire has struck back - where wealthy Indian families will often pay thousands of pounds to give their children a good British education, there are more and more Indian families settled in the UK who want to send their children to study in India.

The "disgusting standards of behaviour, alcohol and drug abuse and smoking" have prompted Brij and Surya Haldania from Southall to send their children to India.

They have plucked their two sons, Rahul and Rohit, out of Britain's state education system and sent them to an exclusive boys boarding school in India. Ironically, the school they have chosen, the £2,000 a year Mayo College, is known as the 'Eton of India' and was nurtured throughout the 20th century by school masters from Britain.

One of them, Jack Gibson, had been a housemaster at one of Britain's leading public schools, and under his stewardship, Mayo produced successive generations of well turned out school boys who went on to become leaders in their respective fields.

The prestigious Indian school was founded by Lord Mayo, then Viceroy of India.

Even today Mayo and Doon are a far cry from what the Haldania family see as the increasingly badly behaved students who go to British comprehensives, staffed by teachers unable to assert their authority.

The Haldanias were so determined to send their sons to Mayo, they evensacrificed family holidays and evenings out in order to be able to afford the fees. Surya Haldania says she believes such sacrifices are necessary for the better development of her sons.

"The drugs scene in local schools and the alcohol abuse by 11-year-olds, the smoking and the lack of discipline is frightening. I could not cope with that," she explains.

Although admitting she misses her children, Surya says the risk of them falling prey to bad influences would have been a bigger problem.

Her nine-year-old son, Rohit, recently joined his older brother, 12-year-old Rahul, at the elite Indian boarding school in Ajmer, near Jaipur.

Rahul, like his brother, attended a local primary school in Southall beforetransferring to Mayo College three years ago.

Surya, a customer relations officer for British Airways, says: "It was a good primary school but I was worried what would happen when he gets to 11 and has to go to the high school."

"At Mayo discipline is the number one priority. If a teacher is present then children aren't allowed to talk. They must also address the teachers properly," adds Surya.

She says that unlike British school children, at Mayo the appearance of the children is amazing. "They aren't allowed to have funny haircuts."

One local teacher from Southall, Many Mann, says the Haldanias have written off British comprehensive education too easily.

"It's not fair to paint such a negative picture of comprehensives. Academic standards are definitely rising. Rather than pulling out 'clever' pupils and sending them to private Indian schools more effort should be made to improve local schools."

But the Haldanias have the whole-hearted support of their local MP, Piara Khabra, who says he can understand the concern the Haldanias have for their children.

"Drugs are a big problem in schools all over the country and I would congratulate the Haldanias for sending their children to study in India."