“We study less; enjoy more. We eat more; you starve to study. We do more in the outing; you always stay indoors. Our parents give us the freedom of living ; you look to be in their clutches for long”

These were the candid comments made by a team of nine high school students and three teachers from Sweden when they interacted with the Plus One and Plus Two students of Everwin Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Kolathur, In the year 2008. In the two hour-long interaction, the alien students from Hagagymnasiet Higher Secondary School, Norrkoping, Sweden discussed a wide range of subjects - culture, food, clothing, hobbies, lifestyle, education and sports.

On coming to know about the number of subjects and the volume of syllabi the Indian students study early in their schooling, the Swedish students said this could be the reason why India-born engineers were doing wonders worldwide in the IT sector. “

We wish we were born in Sweden”, said Sri Ram, a class XI student, when the visiting students told him how they enjoy their childhood. “ Thanks to population, we have to compete and come up”, Alex Vijaya Raj, a class XII student, said justifying the Indian education system. “ In our visit to Chennai, we have chosen two schools, one private and the other a State-owned, to enable our students to interact with Indian students”, said Pia Alm Boo, the headmaster of Hagagymnasiet school.

He was accompanied by two teachers - Johns Kindstead and Josefine Selberg - and nine students - Oscar Berglund, Johan Scherling, Richard Forcasson, Sofia Hjalmarsson, Evelina Rothinan, Solena Helmersson, Louise Nallin, Kafla Vilsson and Hama Storm. B. Purushothaman, Principal, Everwin Matriculation Higher Secondary School and senior teachers received the visitors.