Dear Google, you have failed me!

Just last week, I googled the four words "Karachi Grammar Test Preparation". And I got nothing!

Saira Malik March 06, 2012
Dear Google,

It pains me immensely to say this but you have let me down in my utmost time of need. I always thought there was not a question in this world that would return unanswered from your domain. I always relied on you for the smallest of queries, recommendations and confirmations, and I must admit that it had been so far, so good.

Be it a school research assignment on Alaska, finding some economic or cricket statistics, or checking online for symptoms that my kid would be down with, or even looking up the answer to some radio contest question, you were my hero! My savior! My best-est, most reliable resource.

Until last week!

Yes, just last week, all I googled was these four words:
"Karachi Grammar Test Preparation".

You see, this year, my second-grader becomes eligible for the second time out of the four times-in-a-lifetime opportunity of sitting the admission test for the most prestigious school of Karachi. And unlike the aspiring parents of most seven-year-olds who have been sending their offspring for very strenuous and very very expensive tuitions for the entire year, we decided only last week that we wanted our daughter to sit the entrance test. Part of that decision came from faith in you, Google! I trusted you to help me enough to prepare my daughter in these 17 days.

But all that you returned in response to my search was the Karachi Grammar School (KGS) website link, a Wikipedia link , and a few news articles from past years lamenting about the plight of aspiring parents…that's it!

No guidance absolutely on what the kids get tested on. No past papers or info on the syllabi!

How, Google, how?

How is it that you have the answer to the weirdest questions in the world, and yet fail to provide me with any clue regarding something that is the nexus of the universe of some 2000 odd sets of parents right now??

How is it possible that of such 2000 odd different sets of parents that go through this ordeal every year, none have bothered to log their activity or experience on cyberspace, even though every detail of their lives such as their meals and the last movie watched recorded by the minutes?

So Google, thanks to your cold shoulder, the only ammunition that I am left with is hearsay!

Hearsay about what the kids are doing at these rigorous test preparation classes by some Mrs Virjee and Mrs Mukaty. Hearsay, about what was asked in previous year's test. Hearsay, that the kids sitting the exam for Grade III will be tested from the curriculum of Grade III and not Grade II.

Nothing confirmed, all muddled and hazy.

All these unfounded reports and advice have overwhelmed me! They have overwhelmed me in the exact same way as they did four years ago, when I was told that my then three-year-old was expected to write her full name in the entrance test for kindergarten at KGS.

To date, I have never found out if she was actually asked to do that or not.

And Google, again, I am still searching for an answer from you. But Google, I am hoping for this time to be different.

Why?

Because my daughter will certainly be able to fill me in on the content of this exam after she sits for it. So, regardless of the outcome of her exam, I am planning to log this information on the web for the benefit of aspiring parents in future years. And I certainly hope that more parents will start to think like me.

So next time, perhaps you will not let another parent down, Google!

Sincerely,

A searcher

This post was originally published here.
WRITTEN BY:
Saira Malik A finance professional turned food enthusiast, media observer and freelance writer. She blogs at jill-ofalltrades.blogspot.com and tweets @MalikSaira
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (79)

Vikram | 12 years ago | Reply Why not send kids to Madrassahs and get the best Islamic education? Many converts from Western countries go to Pakistan and Afghanistan to study Islamic education. I hope LeT and Dr Zakir can work togather and open Madrassahs .which teach science, math, biology based on Koran only
Vikram | 12 years ago | Reply Google can never fail. Google's job is to find the information that is out there. We don't yet have a Moogle that can read the mind of the researcher and help her find information.. There may be whole lot of infomation on the Internet that can help parents prepare their kids for school test, it may not be listed under Karachi test or whatever.
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