Overview
Established in 2003 by the Vidya Jyoti Trust in association with the Delhi Public School Society, DPS, Kalinga has in the short span of ten years earned an enviable reputation for offering holistic education combining academic rigour with excellent extra-curricular education. Located on a verdant 30-acre campus midway between the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, and is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi, and offers education from Nursery to Class XII. The school has 3,000 students mentored by 160 teachers, maintaining a teacher-student ratio of 1:20.
Driven with the objective of offering a world-class and contemporary school educational experience rooted in traditional values, the DPS, Kalinga management encourages co-curricular and extra-curricular activities which are integrated into the curriculum. Thus a wide array of activities including dance, music, dramatics, fine arts and sports are offered to encourage creativity, self-expression and foster well-balanced growth and development of students.
Says a school spokesperson: “The primary objectives of DPS Kalinga are to develop in students qualities of integrity, honesty, trust, tolerance and compassion; to promote a spirit of enquiry to foster a scientific temper within the bonds of humanism; to help students become a meaningful part of his/ her environment and to see that courage and industry have their due reward. Education for us means learning effectively any challenge and developing the creative and emotional intellect to lead successful lives. That is what makes us exclusively DPS Kalinga.”
DPS, Kalinga is named after the eponymous kingdom of ancient eastern India. Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty renounced military warfare after his bloody conquest of Kalinga on the banks of the river Daya, and converted to Buddhism adopting a policy of tolerance, kindness, and non-violence. According to the founders of the school -- Mahimananda Mishra, Mala Mishra, Pinaki Misra and Sangita Misra -- as Kalinga transformed Ashoka from a invader to a great emperor, DPS Kalinga seeks to revolutionize and transform school education in Odisha.
Campus
The excellent range of scholastic and co-curricular activities is well supported by excellent infrastructure. The 30 acre school campus is nestled midway between the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. It hosts 140 classrooms equipped with the latest ICT (information and communication technology) equipment, 15 well-equipped laboratories for Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Maths, Psychology, Computer science, Sports, Social Science, languages and a library featuring 17,000 books and 40 magazine and journal subscriptions. The school is and institutionalized member of the British council of India.
Sports facilities include a tennis court set up by Tennis Association of India, a national standard swimming pool, a cricket pitch, playgrounds for football and hockey, courts for volleyball and basketball, spacious rooms for indoor games, a fully equipped gymnasium and equestrian facilities. The school cafeteria serves wholesome, well balanced and nutritious meals prepared under hygienic conditions. The school transport facility comprises a fleet of 70 buses with liveried personnel. Ensuring safe transport of students to and from school.
Academics
DPS Kalinga is affiliated to CBSE, New Delhi and offers education from Nursery to Class XII. Nursery and preparatory classes follow a curriculum which is flexible, activity based and child focused. From class I onwards, emphasis is placed on developing communication and self-expression skills. Classes IV to VIII students opt for a third language. Students can opt for Science, Commerce or Humanities stream at the senior secondary level.
Teaching-learning at DPS, Kalinga is student-centered and focused on experimentation, discovery and experience. The school’s pedagogical ideology transcends the confines of the classrooms and books to a more sequestered and multifaceted approach. Child empowerment is central to the school’s educational philosophy and students are offered all academic resources and mentoring by a highly trained and skilled team of 160 educators.
Continuous teacher training and development is given special attention. Training workshops are conducted for the school’s faculty by the DPS Society and CBSE board for approximately 75 days every year.
Extracurricular:
The school offers extracurricular activities such as music, dance, art craft, horse riding, parasailing, cookery classes, indoor/outdoor sports, literary events, and community service. The school has asn NCC Army wing for boys, NCC Air Wing for girls and Scouts’ and Guides.
Admission
Admission is open for Nursery to Class XII. Application forms can be obtained from the school website or from the school office. The duly filled application form needs to be submitted along with the relevant documents. For admission into Nursery, the child should be 3.6 years as on March 31 of the year of admission. For admission into Class I and above, candidates are required to write an assessment test, following which they need to appear for an interactive session. Admission is on the basis of performance in the assessment test and the interactive session.
Fees: Available on request
Achievements
DPS, Kalinga has produced several national and international sports champions, AISSCE State Rank holders, NTSE Scholars and IIT JEE/ CLAT qualifiers.
The school principal, Girija Chand, has been honoured with the ‘Best Principals Award’ by the Science Olympiad Foundation in August 2012.
The school has its own a charitable wing called ‘The Good Samaritan Foundation’ which aims to inculcate the spirit of altruism among its students. Student visits to orphanages, old age homes, homes for the physically challenged, flood affected villages, etc are organised.