Pathways World School, Delhi
Built on 30 acres of prime real estate within motoring distance of the national capital, Pathways is among the most capital intensive education institutions constructed in Indian history
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| Pathways perspective: pioneer teaching methodologies |
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ocated on an elevated, wooded site in the Aravalli Hills, 25 km from New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, Pathways World School could well be mistaken for a hill resort. Hardly surprising, given that built on 30 acres of prime real estate within motoring distance of the national capital, Pathways (estimated investment Rs.80 crore) is among the most capital-intensive education institutions constructed in Indian history.Designed and conceptualised by national and international experts, and run by a pool of multinational staff since April 2003, when the school admitted its first batch of 40 students, Pathways offers the flexibility of day, weekly, fortnightly or term boarding to kindergarten-class XII students. "Usually," explains Lalage E. Prabhu, principal "schools construct buildings and then somehow try to squeeze in the curriculum. We worked the other way round to first design a 21st century curriculum and then built a school which could contain our ideals." An alumnus of Birmingham University, UK, Prabhu served as an English teacher in classes VII and VIII and was principal of the middle school before taking charge as principal of Pathways, following the exit of John Taylor last year.
Pathways offers four international syllabuses to its students — the International Baccalaureate primary years programme (nursery to grade V); the Pathways medium school programme (grade VI-VIII), the International General Certificate of Secondary Education or IGCSE syllabus of Cambridge University (grades IX and X) and the diploma programme of the International Bacca-laureate Organisation, Geneva (grade XII).
The school prides itself on its pioneering teaching methodologies which are well-tried internationally but new to India. Its methodology, according to Prabhu, is based on five holistic principles — student-centred learning, learning to learn, anytime-anywhere learning, project-based learning and the development of multiple intelligences as defined by Dr. Howard Gardner, renowned Harvard educationist who pioneered the MI (multiple intelligences) theory of student develop-ment. "Our teaching methodology," emphasises Neerja Sehgal, director of admissions at Pathways, "is student-centred and project-based. While the general curriculum is followed by all students, we encourage personal hobbies and interests, sport, theatre and music."
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| Lalage Prabhu |
Although the school draws largely from international models, its management is well aware that it is sited on Indian terra firma. "We teach our students to appreciate India’s diverse culture, its vast natural resources and condition them to protect and preserve them for future generations. To this end we organise regular expeditions to rural and economically-backward areas. The idea is to break down barriers created by privilege and expose our students to a reality outside their own experiences," explains Prabhu.
But even though Pathways offers internationally approved curriculums to its 200 students instructed by a transnational faculty of 34 comprising teachers from Australia, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and England, its unique feature is a five-star student-supportive infra-structure which according to several educationists, is unprecedented in the Indian school system.
Thus the school offers a well-equipped computer lab with a generous number of desktops, while all secondary school students are given a laptop each which is linked with a campus-wide radio network. Students also have access to a Design Technology Studio, conforming to international standards, where they can pursue project assignments under the guidance of visiting experts. The best of these experiments could well lead to commercially viable products even while a child is at school, say management spokespersons.
Likewise the school’s library-media centre which contains 12,500 volumes, 130 CDs and subscribes to 40 journals and magazines includes a distance-learning studio for accessing information from around the world. It also features reading and story-telling corners and a coffee bar for rest and recreation. The school is developing a comprehensive compact disc library to strengthen its reprographics centres which are housed in each academic building.
For accommodation, Pathways offers periodic and term-based boarding on its premises. The three single-sex stone and red brick Tudor-style halls of residence designed by well-known Delhi architects Prakash Nair and C.P. Kukreja have been, "built as homes not hostels", and accommodate 80 students each. Moreover each floor within the ground plus two storey halls of residence has its own furnished room with cable TV and a designated space for socialisation. Instead of old-fashioned dormitories, each study-bedroom is for two students with laptops so that "learning can take place anytime, anywhere". All halls of residence are supervised by experienced faculty who also discharge the role of house parents.
But undoubtedly the major attraction of Pathways World School is the lavish games and sports facilities it offers to parents and students who subscribe to the increasingly popular concept of balanced holistic education. On 30 acres of meticulously landscaped campus, with a lake in its epicentre, the school offers an olympic-size football field, a 400-metre athletics track, horse riding, a 25-metre swimming pool, a hockey field and golfing putt; squash, tennis and basketball courts and a well-equipped gym. Co-curricular education facilities include music, dance and theatre, both faculty and student-directed; a series of well-equipped music and dance studios for presenting small-scale performances while the central amphitheatre, with state-of-the-art lighting and acoustic facilities is the venue for full-scale productions.
"Pathways is an international school in the true sense of the word. And we’re committed to delivering quality education which goes beyond mere academics," says Pramod Jain, the promoter and managing trustee of Pathways World School.
Admission & fees
Pathways offers the flexibility of day, weekly, fortnightly and term boarding. The medium of instruction is English. The school offers primary education and diploma programmes of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organisation of Geneva and the International General Certificate of Secondary Education of the University of Cambridge, England.
Admission. While there is no formal entrance exam, applicants are invited to a ‘conversation’ where they are asked to talk about their interests followed by a session with applicants’ parents.
Fees. Nursery-KG (full day): Rs. 95,000 per annum; Grade I-V: Rs.120,000; Grade VI-VIII: Rs.130,000; Grade IX-X (IGSCE): Rs.180,000; Grade XI-XII (IB diploma): Rs.230,000.
Apart from this there is a registration fee, a refundable security deposit, and an application fee.
For further information contact Pathways World School, Corporate Office, 2, Sainik Farms, New Delhi 110 062. Tel: 11 26850592-3; e-mail: info@pathways.ac.in; website: www.pathways.ac.in.
Neeta Lal (Delhi)
University of Surrey, UK
This former polytechnic which was granted its royal charter in 1966 has been topping the Sunday Times employment league tables for the past six years
Just 30 minutes by train from London’s central business district, the University of Surrey (UniS) has acquired an enviable reputation for producing graduates who are "the most employable of any UK university", having topped the Sunday Times employment league tables for the past six years. Out of 836 home graduates and diplomates in 2002, only 19 were seeking employment six months after graduation. This gives UniS the exceptionally low unemployment rating of 2.3 percent compared with the national average of 6.3 percent.
This success story owes much to the effectiveness of UniS’ pioneer professional training scheme for undergraduates. Under this scheme undergrad students spend 12 months working in industry, commerce or in professional organisations. Over 80 percent of UniS undergraduates acquire workplace experience as an integral part of their degree programmes and some 20 percent work abroad. Quite evidently the content and design of the university’s degree programmes gives its graduates a competitive edge in the job market.
"Creating and maintaining a stimulating, varied and supportive environment continues to be a core vision of the University of Surrey. Our emphasis is on enabling and encouraging students to gain the life and work skills which employers demand, alongside academic achievement. Testimony to our success is the fact that for the past three years the university had the lowest percentage of unemployed graduates of any British university. This is exceptional and gives UniS a unique advantage. The Professional Training Scheme pioneered by the university also greatly contributes to our employment success," says Patrick J. Dowling, vice-chancellor of UniS.
Though the University of Surrey was established in 1966 following the grant of its royal charter, its origins date back to the late 19th century. The forerunner of the university was the Battersea Polytechnic Institute (est. 1891), one of the first colleges to be designated a ‘college of advanced technology’. Given this strong science background, UniS’ study programmes in science and technology have gained widespread recognition. However currently it also boasts flourishing programmes in dance and music, social sciences, management and languages and law. There are over 11,600 undergraduate and postgraduate students currently registered on the award-winning programmes of the university.
Guildford. A ten-minute walk from the varsity campus is the centre of Guildford, a bustling historic town with medieval buildings and a cobbled high street. Located in the county of Surrey, Guildford is just 30 minutes by train from London.
In a nation of shopkeepers the town offers a wide variety of shops, traditional markets and modern malls. Nightlife is lively with three major nightclubs, popular students pubs and the Guildford Civic Centre which hosts concerts from classical to rock, comedians and alternative cabaret.
Complementing the university’s own sporting facilities, the Guildford Spectrum Leisure Centre offers swimming, ice skating, athletics, health and fitness, basketball and ten pin bowling.
Campus facilities. UniS is situated on a single campus on landscaped grounds on the slope of Stag Hill just beyond the Guildford town centre. Purpose built since the 1960s, its academic, administrative and student facilities are grouped together on terraces leading to Guildford Cathedral, surrounded by playing fields, gardens and a lake. The campus is compact with academic, sports, catering and entertainment facilities and the vast majority of student residences are within walking distance.
The George Edwards Library is housed in a six-storey building in the heart of the campus and has seating capacity for over 900 readers including access to over 100 computer workstations. The library has 40,000 volumes, 80,000 bound periodicals, 2,700 current periodical titles and provides access to networked electronic databases and resources.
Sports facilities are offered by the on-campus Sports and Varsity Centres, a ten-minute walk away. The Sports Centre houses three squash courts, climbing walls, a fully equipped fitness centre, a main hall for indoor ball sports, badminton and aerobics, and several smaller rooms for martial arts and dance. The Varsity Centre hosts UniS’ sports grounds, five squash courts, nine all weather tennis courts, a floodlit artificial turf pitch and a fully licensed bar with a lunch menu.
Moreover the UniS Students’ Union organises a wide range of recreational, sporting, arts and welfare facilities round the year.
Admission. All applications for admission into universities in the UK including UniS, have to be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). The UCAS code for UniS is S85. Students can obtain the UCAS application form from their local British Council Library or write to UCAS Application Requests, UCAS, Rosehill, New Barn Lane, Cheltenham, Glos. GL52 3LZ (e-mail app.req@ucas.ac.uk). The last date for receiving applications for entry into the academic term beginning September 2004 is June 30.
The minimum eligibility criterion for admission into UniS’ undergrad programmes is successful completion of Plus Two. In addition to a first class academic record, students have to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Scores of exams such as Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) have to be submitted together with the application form.
For further information contact the University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, England GU2 5XH. E-mail admissions@surrey.ac.uk. Website: www.surrey.ac.uk.
Accommodation. All first year students are guaranteed a study/ bedroom on campus. Most of the housing is in single study bedrooms, grouped around a kitchen/ dining room. Each bedroom is fully furnished with bed, desk, cupboards and bookshelves. An average of 12 students share each kitchen which is equipped with cooker, fridge, freezer, and kettle. Most of the accommodation is mixed sex, but some residence halls are reserved for those who prefer single sex accommodation. To help with day-to-day living, there is a launderette, post office, bank, hairdresser, bookshop, grocery store and newsagent on campus in addition to cafes and restaurants.
Second and final year students have to (with help from the accommodation office) find their own housing in Guildford town. (UniS owns and rents property in the area). Housing options range from flats and houses to lodgings.
Degree programmes. UniS groups its academic activities into schools. They include — school of arts, school of biomedical & molecular sciences, school of electronics & physical sciences, school of engineering, European institute of health and medical sciences, school of human sciences, and school of management. Within schools there are departments: for example, within the school of human sciences there are the departments of economics, psychology and sociology. These schools offer a wide range of undergrad and postgrad programmes (see box).
Scholastic options at Surrey
School of Arts. Department of educational studies; department of adult and continuing education; dance studies; language centre; law; linguistics, cultural and international studies; music and sound recording. Annual tuition fee: £7,860-9,100
School of Biomedical & Molecular Sciences. Biochemistry; clinical sciences and measurement; chemistry; human psychopharmacology unit; microbial sciences; nutrition and food safety. £10,380
School of Electronics & Physical Sciences. Department of computing; mathematics and statistics; physics; electronic engineering; advanced technology institute; centre for solid state electronics; Surrey space centre; survey centre for research in ion beam applications; optoelectronic devices and materials group; centre for vision, speech and signal processing. £7,860-10,380
School of Engineering. Chemical and process engineering; civil engineering, materials science and engineering; mechanical and aerospace engineering; centre for advance surface, particle & interface engineering; centre for engineering materials structures; centre for environmental engineering & strategy; centre for environmental strategy; centre for environmental health engineering; fluids research centre; process and information systems engineering; centre for biomedical engineering; mechanotrics. £10,380
European Institute of Health & Medical Sciences. Robens centre; centre for biomedical engineering. £10,380
School of Human Sciences. Economics; sociology; psychology; digital world research centre. £7,860-10,380
School of Management. Undergrad and postgrad programmmes. £10,380
Living expenses. Students should budget £6,000 per year for accommodation and personal expenses.N.B. £=Rs. 81
Summiya Yasmeen