Want to pursue Arts: Teen dials 181 to thwart dad’s commerce pressure

AHMEDABAD: A 16-year-old whose aspiration to become a psychologist was under parental pressure to choose the ‘profitable’ commerce stream, called the 181 Abhayam women’s helpline to safeguard her ambition against conventional notions.

Keya Patel (name changed), a resident of eastern Ahmedabad and student of a prominent English school, had scored 68% in Class 10 and wanted to opt for the arts discipline in the general stream.

“Her father, associated with the diamond industry, however, was not in agreement,” said an Abhayam counsellor. “He believed that there was no career scope in the arts and pushed her towards commerce, so she could pursue CA or an MBA.”

The counsellor said the stalemate had become so serious that the girl went to stay with her maternal aunt. “The girl had lost her mother at a young age, and her father remarried a year later to take care of the girl,” the counsellor said. “Once the stepmother conceived a child, the relationship also soured with the girl feeling neglected.”

The Abhayam counsellor told TOI that the girl’s father was counselled. “He was told about the new opportunities in the field, and most importantly, was asked to support the girl in the field she’s passionate about instead of pushing her towards something only for gains,” the counsellor said. “The father agreed to get the girl admitted to the stream of her choice. The girl has shifted back to her father’s home.”

Once relegated to the third spot after science and commerce, the arts in the state board and the humanities in CBSE and ICSE have gained traction over the past decade, say city-based school authorities.

The gain is relatively higher for English-medium schools, they added. In several cases, it is the students who drive the demand and parents succumb.

“I was not very sure of career opportunities in the arts and wanted my daughter to take science,” said Avani Tomar, a Maninagar resident and mother of a Class 11 student.

Tomar said, “But she was adamant that humanities was her choice as she wants to become a retail psychologist. I had to concede.”

Archit Bhatt, a trustee of Tripada Group of Schools, said that across the city, several schools including theirs have expanded humanities classes due to increased demand over the past few years.

“We have been getting about 150 forms annually against the class strength of 60-70 for the past couple of years,” Bhatt said. “In areas such as Ghatlodia and Maninagar, now there are 10 schools offering the arts discipline. Several students there have scored 75-80% in Class 10.”

Industry experts said that in the post-Covid era, there has been an addition of at least 30 divisions (each division containing about 40-50 students) in both Gujarati and English-medium schools in the city.

Nirav Thakkar, the principal of AG High School, said that the demand is driven by CBSE and ICSE boards where the humanities is a robust discipline. “It can also be seen in the trend of new jobs and opportunities — after Covid, we have seen the emergence of psychology as a discipline,” he said. “Over the past few years, a high number of competitive exam aspirants have been opting for the humanities.”

Experts added that psychology and English are the top subjects, followed by economics and sociology.

They pointed to Mount Carmel High School, where one division was added two years ago and is still running due to rising demand for the humanities.

Manan Choksi, a trustee of Udgam Group of Schools, said that a decade ago, careers were decided solely by parents. Now, he said, the decision is made by consensus, with children’s choices getting primacy.