Sir Padampat Singhania Education Centre, Kanpur

Affiliated with the Delhi-based CBSE, SPSEC has come a long way since it admitted its first batch in 1982. In the latest EW India School Rankings 2016, it is ranked #8 in Uttar Pradesh and #2 in Kanpur in the category of co-ed day schools - Swati Roy

Promoted in memory of legendary industrialist Sir Padampat Singhania (1905-1979), former president of the Kanpur-based JK Group (annual sales revenue Rs.27,249 crore) who in addition to his many distinctions was a signatory of the Constitution of India, the Sir Padampat Singhania Education Centre (SPSEC), Kanpur has come a long way since it admitted its first batch of students in 1982. Affiliated with the Delhi-based Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), this K-12 school is ranked #8 in Uttar Pradesh — India’s most populous state (215 million) — and #2 in the industrial city of Kanpur (2.8 million) in the latest EducationWorld India School Rankings 2016 in the category of co-ed day schools. 

Moreover, the Hindustan Times (November 2013) ranks it the #1 CBSE school in Kanpur in its 5th Top Schools Survey. Currently SPSEC, also a recipient of British Council’s International School Award (2014-17), provides playgroup to class XII education to 3,000 students including 934 girls instructed by 190 teachers. 

“SPSEC offers new-age pedagogies in a stimulating learning environment which promotes Indian traditions and values. Over the past 34 years, we have built a reputation for delivering high-quality holistic education which combines rigorous academics with co-curricular and sports activities to enable integrated development of students. Proof of our commitment to providing 21st century education is that our graduates are routinely admitted into the country’s top-ranked education institutions including the IITs, NID and Delhi University,” says SPSEC principal Virinder Singh Moudgill, an alumnus of Panjab and Annamalai universities, and former principal of the Dalhousie Hilltop School, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi Public School, Nabha (Punjab).

According to Moudgill, SPSEC has consistently produced city and state toppers in the CBSE class XII board exams. For instance in 2016, of the 334 students who wrote the class XII CBSE exam, 71 averaged 90 percent-plus. Moreover, 15 class XII (science) students cleared the IIT-JEE Advanced exam and qualified for admission into the globally reputed IITs.

A rigorous curriculum is supplemented by state-of-the-art academic, co-curricular and sports education. Sited on a meticulously landscaped 11-acre campus, the school offers 84 air-conditioned classrooms fitted with Smart boards and wi-fi access; 18 laboratories for science (physics, chemistry, biology, biotechnology, computer science) and social science subjects; a library housing 30,000 volumes with 53 journal subscriptions, and a 350-seat auditorium. Sports facilities include a multipurpose sports ground for basketball, volleyball, cricket and football; lawn tennis and squash courts and gymnasium. Mentored by professional coaches, several SPSEC students have won state and national honours in tennis and cricket tournaments. 

The distinguishing feature of the SPSEC campus is its unique botanical garden and several green spaces. SPSEC is the sole education institution in Uttar Pradesh to be awarded the Green School Award (2012) of the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment for allocating eight of its 11 campus acreage to aesthetically designed green spaces featuring ornamental plants and flowers. The school is also a pioneer in implementing environmentally sustainable practices such as land management, waste recycling and water conservation. Unsurprisingly, the school’s gardens are a rich laboratory for experientially delivering the science curriculum.

In the cause of providing its 3,000 students well-rounded, holistic education, participation in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities has been integrated into the school’s time table. More than 25 clubs (animation, aero modelling, theatre, dance, music, art and crafts, photography, calligraphy, robotics, fossil club, language, and readers) and community outreach programmes encourage students to develop multiple interests and life skills. 

Enabling infrastructure and co-curricular and sports education apart, the school’s management accords special attention to the welfare and continuous development of its 190 teachers. “We recruit highly-qualified teachers, many with postgraduate and doctorate qualifications. Teacher development programmes are a major focus area with regular in-service training workshops and seminars organised to continuously enhance their teaching skills,” says Abhishek Singhania, vice chairman of the school. 

Despite SPSEC having established a solid reputation in Kanpur, the management is committed to the school’s continuous growth and development. In the next academic year (2017-18), it plans to increase student capacity by 200 to meet growing demand for admission (the school receives four applications per available seat) and to install additional laboratories for computer science, maths and languages. “Our objective is to produce school-leavers who are critical thinkers, emotionally intelligent and spiritually enlightened, and ready not only for higher education but prepared to serve society with determination, discipline and devotion. Therefore, we are committed to continuous improvement of the learning outcomes of our students,” adds Singhania.