One in three Hyderabad fathers stay up late everyday to help their children study

Hyderabad: It is a well-known and highly regarded fact that both the parents readily invest their time and efforts in shaping the academic outlook of their children, thereby playing a vital role in the same. But with Father's Day around the corner on June 16, Brainly, the world's largest online peer-to-peer learning community, conducted a special survey to understand the dynamics of modern father-child relationship, specifically evaluating the role of a father in a child's academic life today.

With over 1000 students surveyed from all over India, the survey takes a deeper look into the vital role that fathers play in shaping a child's personality and perspective. The study also challenges the age-old notion that it is only mothers who help their kids with their studies.

The findings of the survey further revealed that in Hyderabad, many fathers took interest in their children's education and most of them were able to actively and effectively help them. For instance, though close to 55 per cent of fathers are highly interested in their kids' education, only about half of them are able to help their kids study. Further, while around 45 per cent of fathers recommend that their kids study using books and notes, close to 30 per cent of them also recommend online platforms like Brainly. This indicates that more parents are becoming aware of alternative online study methods and their benefits, especially when they themselves may not be able to devote a large chunk of their time to their child's studies.

The survey also found out that one in three Indian fathers were staying up late at night to help their children study. More than 35 per cent of students surveyed had said that their fathers had stayed up late at night every day to help them while more than 30 per cent said that their fathers stayed up late a few times a week.

It is a known fact that students should balance out their study time with some downtime, and it is a good sign that a significant number of fathers are attuned to this. The study revealed that close to 45 per cent of fathers encourage their kids to participate in extracurricular activities, thus ensuring a healthy balance between work and fun.

Moreover, over 72 per cent of participating students feel that fathers play a vital part in ensuring their academic success. However, the findings also indicate that they may need to take an approach that is more in line with the needs of today's students. Over 75 per cent of fathers are perceived as strict by their kids, and 1/3rd students feel the need for less pressure by leaving more room for discussions to clear doubts. By adopting the latter approach, fathers will be able to help students understand concepts better and retain more of what they have studied, without the added stress.

Speaking on the objectives and findings of the survey, Michal Borkowski, CEO, Brainly said, "Preparing well for their academic pursuits is the goal of most students today, be it through school, teachers or tutors. However, the driving force behind this is most often their parents. The fact is that both parents play important roles pertaining to their child's academics, though this may be in differing ways. In Hyderabad, we have seen that fathers contribute equal amount of time like mothers towards their children's education. This definitely shows in the survey as well with more number of fathers taking efforts towards helping their children compared to other cities. This will definitely help their children grow in their academics as they are playing an equally important and motivating role in their children's lives."