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The man shared that people in Norway encourage children to remain curious and think independently, while also having enough time for sports and hobbies, unlike Indians.
‘Child Deserves A Childhood, Not Race’: NRI Compares Education System In Norway and India; Internet Reacts
In India, most children spend their formative years juggling school, private tuition, coaching institutes, and the dream of clearing highly competitive exams such as NEET and JEE, hoping to secure a better future. It is this relentless academic race that an NRI living in Norway criticised in his post, arguing that Indian kids deserve a “childhood, not a race.”
In a post on X, the NRI, named Vinod, compared Scandinavia and India, highlighting that the biggest difference between the two is not money or prosperity but how children are raised. Vinod shared, “After living in both Norway and India for many years, I realised the biggest difference between Scandinavia and India isn’t money or wealth. It’s how we treat and raise our children.”
“Children Quietly Lose Their Childhood”
Expressing concern over India’s highly competitive education system, he said, “It genuinely hurts me to see Indian teenagers carrying a burden they never chose: school all day, coaching in the evening, tuition at night. Parents spend lakhs, schools chase rankings, coaching centres chase profits, and children quietly lose their childhood.”
Drawing a comparison with Scandinavia, he noted that children there are encouraged to remain curious, think independently and creatively while also having enough time for sports, hobbies and spending time with family and friends. “They’re taught to think not just for themselves, but for others and for society,” he added.
In contrast, he shared that Indian students are often pushed into a relentless cycle of competition. “In India, they are taught to survive a rat race, pressurised to perform, and bullied by our education system, he wrote. “No teenager should feel that one exam decides their worth.”
He called for reforms, arguing that the country needs an education system that prioritises children’s well-being. “We don’t need robotic, and “yes sir” children. We need a kinder education system, because a nation is not built by good grades and burnt – out children. It is built by healthy, confident, and happy young minds,” he said.
Urging people to raise their voice, he added, “Let’s raise our voice for our children. Hold our policymakers and education leaders accountable. Every child deserves a childhood, not a race. Give them the future they deserve.”
After living in both Norway and India for many years, I realised the biggest difference between Scandinavia and India isn’t money or wealth. 🇳🇴🇮🇳It’s how we treat and raise our children. 😌
It genuinely hurts me to see Indian teenagers carrying a burden they never chose:…
— Vinod (@turiyatman) July 20, 2026
Internet Reacts To The Comparison Between India And Norway
The post quickly struck a chord online, with many users agreeing that India’s education system places excessive pressure on students from an early age, while others argued that the increase in population had led to such intense competition among young children.
“Yes, childhood is lost before it even begins. It’s a rat race, and the performance pressure is real. Just wondering what was the point of teaching us trigonometry and calculus. It’s of no use in real life,” said a user.
“Need to change system. But this is not an easy thing,” quipped another.
Meanwhile, an individual noted, “Scarcity of Resources in Proportion to Population makes lots of difference… Maximum Indians are living with very minimal Resources & trying to come up…In your favourite countries, the BASE has been perfect since long time, while in India the BASE is not even ready.”
“A system that rewards curiosity will always outperform one that rewards compliance. The future belongs to children who learn how to think not just what to memorise. School should be focused on teaching how to sell and communicate,” someone else shared.
Reforms could prioritize children’s well-being and encourage curiosity and independent thinking, moving away from a “robotic” system.
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