A parent who lived in India for four years alleged that a prominent international school in Bengaluru subjected students to immense stress and a disrespectful atmosphere. In a viral Reddit post, the parent claimed that teachers glossed over complaints of bullying because the perpetrators belonged to “influential families”.The Reddit post has prompted many to share their own experiences. (Representational image). (Pexels)The parent recalled, “I lived in India for 4 yrs, my children went to a very expensive international school in Bengaluru. My children did not share much while they were in India, but share more now, after we returned to the USA. My elder one completed high school in this IGCSE/IB school, and my younger one studied there from 4-7 grade,” adding, “The one thing which was easily obvious was the immense stress. The curriculum, even for a school which claimed to implement IB/ be based on IGCSE, relied a lot on information to be memorised than on projects or true understanding, esp in science. Being constantly on top of every little thing which was being taught was a must for parents, esp for those whose children were not naturally well-organised.”Also Read: NRI in US explains why returning to India after earning crores is ‘next to impossible’The person continued, “This school had an impressive list of USA and UK univs where their students got admitted, so that was what drew us to it. And frankly, it did work for my daughter, as she got admission in a very good univ along with a substantial scholarship. But the general atmosphere in school was harsh and toxic and not respectful to students, to say the least.”The individual alleged, “My younger one experienced bullying which was glossed over by the teachers bcos the students who were the bullies belonged to influential families with contacts.”In the following lines, the parent stated that although their younger kid had a hard time at school, their older kid made friends. The person clarified that not all teachers were toxic; some were very caring.The person further alleged that the school pushed students to apply to private colleges.“Another thing I noticed was how the admission counseller insisted that we apply to T20s and private colleges, and was perplexed when I said that we prefer a good in-state univ, bcos of the tuition. These counsellers force kids to apply to expensive, top private univs , as that acts like a marketing tool for the school to attract new parents.”How did social media react?An individual wrote, “I was bullied by both my teachers and principal and some of my classmates decades ago at a private school. I am glad that your children are no longer in a toxic situation. The memories do not ever fade.” The OP shared, “Yes, and the sad thing is that children don't immediately confide in parents because they are worried what will happen if a parent makes an official complaint.”Another commented, “Bullying is very common in all schools in the US as well… looks like grass isn't green on the other side as well.” A third expressed, “How are people able to return so easily? I was under the impression that most did not get citizenship or green cards, and most are moving back because they don't have a choice.”Also Read: 37-year-old NRI from NYC with $3M net worth seeks advice on moving back to India. Gets mixed responseA fourth posted, “I just read an earlier post about a guy lauding the Indian education system and his kids eventually got into med school in the US. Now this.” The OP explained, “My daughter is in premed at a very good university with a substantial scholarship, like I said. But the experience in general at this school was very unhealthy for us, especially after the principal changed a couple of years after we joined.”(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. Hindustantimes.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)