Delhi Public School, Bangalore East

The newest of the three DPS schools promoted by the KKEC Trust, this K-12 school constructed on a 16-acre plot with superior infrastructure, has attained full capacity in quick time

Over the past 64 years, since it was registered to provide “excellent and holistic” K-12 education, the Delhi Public Schools Society (estb. 1937) has promoted 190 DPS schools countrywide under the owned (11) and franchise models. However until the dawn of the new millennium, the reputation and fame of DPS was restricted to the national capital and the Hindi heartland states of north India. But in 2001, K. Rahman Khan, former chairman of the Bangalore-based Al-Ameen Educational Society and currently Union minister of minority affairs, and chairman of KK Educational and Charitable Trust (KKECT, regstd. 1999) signed up with DPS Society to set up the first franchisee school south of the Vindhyas — DPS Bangalore South.

Quite obviously the DPS brand of school education has struck a resonant chord among citizens of India’s IT city because since then, the number of DPS schools promoted by the trust has multiplied to four (Bangalore South, North, East and DPS, Mysore) with an aggregate enrollment of 16,000 students. More pertinently, all three DPS schools of Bangalore have quickly established excellent reputations for providing high quality education in the garden city. In the latest EducationWorld India School Rankings 2013, DPS, Bangalore South (estb. 2001) is ranked #16, DPS, Bangalore North (estb.2002) #6 and DPS, Bangalore East (estb. 2007) #17 in Karnataka.

In particular over the past seven years, DPS, Bangalore East, constructed on a 16-acre plot in the suburb of Sarjapur with a project cost of Rs.35 crore and superior infrastructure, has earned excellent notices for providing rigorous academic and extra-curricular education. In quick time, this CBSE-affiliated K-12 school has reached its full capacity of 4,400 students mentored by 275 teachers.

“In terms of planning, design and space utilisation, DPS, Bangalore East, designed by well-known education institutions architect Dinesh Verma, is an improvement on our previous two schools. We have a green campus because of a comprehensive water management and recycling system, and the school, which also features a one acre organic farm maintained by students who are encouraged to learn a range of life skills, is subject to rigorous energy audits. Because of good spatial planning we have been able to set aside 10 acres for sports including field games such as cricket, football and hockey. DPS, Bangalore East provides the best infrastructure of any day school countrywide propor-tionate to its very affordable tuition fees,” says Mansoor Khan, a business management graduate of Bangalore University and chief executive of all four DPS schools promoted under the aegis of KKECT.

The school’s academic infrastructure is impressive, comprising 200 class-rooms fitted with Smart class boards supported by capital intensive science, computer and maths labs, and a well-stocked library housing 15,500 books. An indoor sports complex of 50,000 sq.ft offers table tennis, squash, badm-inton and basketball courts, a gymnasium, swimming pool and training facilities for taekwondo, yoga and karate.

Given the school’s supportive acad-emic infrastructure, it’s not surprising that of the first batch of 80 students who wrote the class XII CBSE board exam last March, 60 averaged 80 percent, and 20 over 90 percent.

“Although we give due impo-rtance to academic learning, our broader objective is to provide balanced, over-all education which prepares our students for the world outside school. There-fore there is a strong emphasis on life skills education — inter-school debates, competitions and community service. Moreover, students are given opportunities to learn organic farming, robotics, and a range of hands-on science activities, develop higher order thinking skills and engage with our water management, energy audit and air pollution abatement initiatives,” says Manila Carv-alho, a psychology postgrad of Mangalore University who acquired 22 years of teaching and administrative experience in Carmel Convent, Bangalore and KKCET’s DPS, Bangalore South before being appointed principal of DPS, East in 2007.

With all three DPS schools in Bangalore running to full capacity, the trust has drawn up plans to promote a new chain of K-12 schools in tier-II cities and towns of Karnataka (pop. 62 million). “Within the next five years KKCET will establish schools in the headquarters of all 30 districts of the state in addition to a teachers training college in Bangalore,” says Mansoor Khan.

Fair winds!

Sangeetha Samuel (Bangalore)

Wesleyan University, USA

Founded in 1831 by Methodist evangelists and Middletown residents, over the past 182 years this ‘Little Ivy’ university has acquired an international reputation for the liberal arts

Sited on a 316-acre campus in Middletown, Connecticut, Wesleyan University (estb. 1831) is ranked among the Top 20 liberal arts colleges of America by the US News & World Report’s ranking of America’s Best Colleges 2013. Given to maintaining a low public profile and highly selective, together with Amherst and Williams, Wesleyan is a member of America’s ‘Little Three’ elite liberal arts colleges (aka the ‘Little Ivies’). The university’s 40 academic departments offer over 900 academic programmes to 2,900 full-time undergraduates and 200 graduate students mentored by 385 faculty. Wesleyan’s teacher-pupil ratio is an enviable 9:1, and two thirds of all programmes enroll fewer than 20 students.

Founded in 1831 by Methodist evangelists and Middletown citizens, over the past 182 years Wesleyan has acquired an international reputation for its internally developed liberal arts curriculum. The university’s four-year bachelor of arts degree programme combines academic rigour with flexibility. Freshmen (first year) students are allowed to design customised study programmes based on their interests and aptitudes in consultation with faculty.  Writing is encouraged in all disciplines and 99 percent of undergrads participate in Wesleyan’s Writing Across the Curriculum programme.

“Wesleyan University stands for the opportunity to connect serious intell-ectual and aesthetic work with making a positive difference in the world. That makes Wesleyan a promising place to be. Students here have the talent, capacity and drive to create something new. Our open curriculum enables them to identify and explore aspects of the world that interest them most, and our superb faculty teach them how to refine and strengthen their efforts. By the end of their undergraduate careers, our students know how to produce work that has real impact in the worlds of ideas, enterprise, and service. The gift of a Wesleyan education is the freedom to discover what you love to do and get better at it,” says Michael S. Roth, pres-ident of the university.

Middletown. Sprawled along the Conne- cticut River in the north-eastern state of Connect-icut, Middletown (pop. 47,000) is a mid-sized manufacturing town rich in cultural and natural resources. Attractions include the Center for the Arts, General Mansfield House/Middlesex Historical Society, Russell Library, Kidcity Children’s Museum and Harbor Park. Downtown is just three blocks from the campus and boasts a 12-screen movie theatre, a variety of stores, banks, and multi-cuisine restaurants, including Italian, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Mexican and vegetarian. The town also offers numerous opportunities for hiking, swimming, mountain biking, and boating.

Connecticut’s two major cities of Hartford and New Haven are just a 25-35 minute drive from the town centre, while New York and Boston are a two-hour drive. Average winter temperatures in Middletown range between -2oC to -17oC with snow a regular feature. Summer temperatures range from 30oC-36oC.

Campus facilities. Spread over 316 green acres, Wesleyan’s campus overlooks the river and houses over 300 buildings including the Olin Memorial Library (hosting 1.8 million volumes and 10,000 serial subscriptions); Russell House, a historic national landmark; the six-storey Exley Science Center; Andrus Public Affairs Center; Van Vleck Observatory; Center for Film Studies and the Davison Art Center, among other faculty centres.
Academic resources are supplemented with excellent sports facilities. They include the Freeman Athletic Center with a 50-metre swimming pool, the Spurrier-Snyder Rink for skating activities, the 1,200-seat Silloway Gymnasium (volleyball, basketball, wrestling), the 7,500-sq. ft Andersen Fitness Center, and the Rosenbaum Squash Center with eight courts, Smith Field (hockey, lacrosse and soccer), Macombre boat-house and John Wood memorial tennis courts. Other campus facilities include a post office, book shop, a Wes Shop (groceries) and multiple dining venues.

Moreover, there are 200 student organisations on campus covering a range of interests: martial arts, outdoor activities, community tutoring, literary magazines, theater and dance troupes, WESU-radio, political organisations, and ethnic interest and support groups.

Admission. Wesleyan is a highly selective institution. Most recently of 11,000 admission applicants only 745 were admitted as undergrads. Applicants are expected to have strong secondary school preparation in English, social sciences, science, mathematics, and a foreign language. The minimum eligibility for admission into the four-year undergraduate degree programme is completion of Plus Two (class XII) with superior grades. All applicants are also required to submit the SAT Reasoning Test of the College Board and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores. Students must score 100 (TOEFL) or 7 (IELTS) to demonstrate proficiency in English. All standardised examinations must be taken by end January.

First year applicants must submit the common application with a $55 (Rs.3,355) processing fee. The appli-cant’s school/junior college should forward a higher secondary school transcript as well as official copies of test results to the university. The school transcript should provide a detailed list of courses taken in the final four years of secondary school/junior college, the grades received or evaluation of work for each course, and the student’s rank in class. The information should come directly from the school, not the applicant.

Admission applications need to be submitted to the Office of Admission, Wesleyan University, 70 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown, CT 06459-0265, USA before January 1. All candidates will be notified of the admission decision before April 1. For further information, write to Therese P. Overton, Associate Dean of Admission, Wesleyan Univ-ersity, 70 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown, CT 06459-0265, USA. Phone: +1 860 685-3000; fax: +1 860 685-3001; e-mail: toverton@wesleyan.edu or  admission@wesleyan.edu; website: www.wesleyan.edu.

Accommodation. Wesleyan is a wholly residential institution and all undergraduates are required to live on campus for four years. Housing options include residence halls, apartments, and houses. As students acquire seniority, they can choose more independent living options, from residence hall doubles to singles to program houses, apartments, and eventually wood frame houses. All housing options are within a 5-10 minute walk to campus. Each residential unit includes a laundry room with card-operated washers and dryers, and every student room has high-speed internet access. All residential units house men and women students, while some halls offer single-sex floors.

Degree programmes. Wesleyan’s 40 departments offer over 900 study programmes with undergraduates awarded bachelor of arts degrees in one or more of 44 major concentrations. It also offers Masters degrees, Master of arts in liberal studies, Master of philosophy in liberal arts, and Ph D study programmes. (see box)

Summiya Yasmeen