Modern School, Lucknow
India’s first ISO 9001 certified school, this institution has come a long way since it was promoted in 1980 and has many landmark achievements to its credit
 |
| Modern School facade: dogged quality insistence |
From modest beginnings in 1980 in a private home to India’s first ISO 9001 certified school, Modern School, Lucknow has come a long way. The globally recognised quality certification, awarded to the school in 1997, is one of the many landmark achieve-ments of this Kg-class XII CISCE affiliated school which is also the sole Indian member of The Koalaty Kid programme to Education and Training, a quality improvement programme developed by the American Society of Quality, an organisation committed to creating better workplaces and communities. Moreover in 2003 this 24-year-old co-educational school received a certificate of commendation from the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) for the excellent quality systems it has established. "Our emphasis in Modern School is on achieving, maintaining and enhancing qualities which students and the community value. It could be proficiency in computers or the English language, or developing personality traits like confidence and courtesy," explains Rakesh Kapoor, an alumnus of Delhi and Lucknow universities and founder chairman of Modern School. He has developed the Kapoor Quality Education System (KQES) with inputs from renowned seer Patanjali’s Yogasutra and quality systems pioneer W. Edward Deming’s Total Quality Management (TQM) theory. According to Kapoor, the principles of KQES require formulation of systems which encourage questioning, research, discovery, team learning and academic rigour to motivate students to excel and persuade school managements to develop new pedagogies.
Kapoor’s homegrown KQES is the driving force behind Modern School’s dogged insistence on quality. The school’s mission statement is "to impart quality education that achieves learning without cramming, excellence without distress, nurtures relationships of unconditional love and esteem and inculcates discipline without fear".
"Insistence on quality in education and practice of KQES in particular has enabled Modern School to set academic standards and develop a unique identity which is an amalgam of best Indian and western practices. Thus while morning assemblies feature readings from the sacred texts and Vipassana, our students also successfully compete in global scientific competitions. This emphasis on holistic education has made all the difference to Modern School," says Shakuntala Jaisinghani, principal of Modern School and formerly principal of the B.R. Birla Public School, Jodhpur.
Spread over four acres in central Lucknow, Modern School has an enrollment of 1,468 male and female students and 50 teachers. Affiliated to the Delhi-based Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), teaching at the 24-year-old school is activity and project based. "Our teaching methods are based on analysis and application. We believe that whatever a student learns in school should be applicable in the world outside. Information accumulation is important for passing board exams but learning is vital to the very process of living. Thus our commerce students try their hand at devising advertising campaigns and science students prepare projects on space tourism," adds Jaisinghani.
 |
| Shakuntala Jaisinghani |
With pan India examination boards (CISCE, CBSE) incrementally — even if belatedly — testing students’ problem solving and knowledge application capabilities, Modern School’s application oriented pedagogy has paid rich dividends. In 2003-04, of the 178 students who wrote the class X ICSE exam, 111 passed with distinction with the best student averaging 92.4 percent. Similarly of the 100 students who wrote the class XII ISC exam, 92 passed with distinction with the school’s best performer averaging 92.5 percent.
Likewise in co-curricular activities, the track record of Modern School students is outstanding. The school team won the Cadbury Bournvita Quiz Contest 2004; Shweta Gupta, captain of the school’s basketball team, was a member of the senior national inter-school basketball team; the school team won the first prize beating 42 Asian teams to reach the finals of the 12th Annual International Space Design Settlement Competition organised by NASA, and several of its students won prizes at the All India Engineering Model Exhibition, TECHNEX-2005 organised by Benares Hindu University. In addition, the school keeps up its social obligations through anti-noise pollution drives and tree planting campaigns.
Under Kapoor’s leadership, the school has developed — and prides itself upon — its state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities which include a multimedia library stocked with 4,000-plus books and 12 journal subscriptions; a computer lab with 37 computers networked through a wireless local area network; contemporary science laboratories including a biotech lab, and a 1,000 seat multi-media auditorium. Sports facilities include swimming, basketball, table tennis, football and cricket. Socially useful and productive work (SUPW) comprises sessions on mental health, personality development, yoga and nutrition. Modern School students also bring out Quality Kids Time, a quarterly newsletter which keeps parents and alumni informed of the school’s activities.
Continuous learning and skills development programmes for faculty are high on the school agenda. Experts conduct annual teacher training workshops and meditation classes. Principal Jaisinghani is excited about the implementation of a customised computer software which allows parents, teachers, and students to interact and discuss every school activity. "At the click of a mouse a parent will soon have complete information on a child’s attendance record as well as the lesson plans of the class teacher," she says.
Founder-chairman Kapoor, a disciple of seer-educationist the late J. Krishnamurti (1895-1986) who traversed the world advising and counselling school principals on quality education, is willing to collaborate with schools that wish to replicate the Modern School teaching-learning model. "We have developed an MIS (management information system) which can be used by schools for quality management systems. For a start we will be organising three workshops for school principals and managers between August and September this year on an education technology development programme. In time we also plan to introduce the International Baccalaureate programme in Lucknow," says Kapoor who adds that the remodelling of the school’s campus to make it more student-friendly is also on his drawing board.
Way to go!
Admission & fees
Admissions are through an entrance test and personal interview. Applications for admission into kindergarten need to be submitted before the start of each academic session (June). Admission into the higher classes is subject to vacancies.
Fees. Annual charges: Rs.2,600-2,900
Tuition fee (monthly)
Nursery and KG: Rs.783
Prep: Rs.883
Classes III-VII: Rs.976
Class IX: Rs.1,068 (exclusive of computer and science charges)
Class X: Rs.1,016 (exclusive of computer and science charges)
Class XI: Rs.1,328 (exclusive of computer, science and biotech lab charges)
Class XII: Rs.1,296 (exclusive of computer, science and biotech lab charges)
For more information write to the Principal, Modern School, Sector E, Aliganj, Lucknow 226024. Tel: 91-0522-2320623, 2373106; e-mail: modernschool@msn.com and dq@modernschool.ac.in.
Vidya Pandit (Lucknow)
University of New England, Australia
First established in 1938 as a constituent college of Sydney University, UNE became autonomous in 1954. Since then it has earned a sound reputation for teaching and research
 |
| UNE campus vista: teaching-research reputation |
Situated in the picturesque town of Armidale, New South Wales, the University of New England (UNE) has established a sound reputation in the sixth continent as a provider of outstanding teaching and centre of research excellence. The first Australian university to be established outside a state capital, UNE has four faculties: arts; economics, business and law; education, health and professional studies and the sciences. The university offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, diploma, Masters and doctoral study courses in the general (arts, science) and professional (accounting, teaching, nursing and law) fields to 18,863 students including 1,800 students from over 50 countries.
"The University of New England has a long and enviable reputation as a provider of quality education and combines a commitment to excellence in teaching and advanced research. We have established formal links with many overseas institutions and maintain a strong relationship with our alumni. The presence of international students at UNE allows the university community to gain a greater understanding of different countries, languages, cultures, religions and customs," says Prof. Ingrid Moses, vice-chancellor of UNE.
First established in 1938 as a constituent college of Sydney University, UNE acquired autonomous status in 1954. Since then it has pioneered distance education where technology is used to provide programmes to students studying at home. More than 12,000 of its 18,000 plus students study via the internet, making UNE Australia’s largest provider of distance education. On campus the student-staff ratio is 10:1 and students benefit greatly from access to individualised tuition. Moreover UNE has signed partnerships with more than 33 universities and colleges overseas for collaborative research, course articulation arrangements and staff and student exchanges.
Armidale. This picturesque town is situated in the New England tableland region of northern New South Wales. An hour by air from the metropolitan cities of Sydney and Brisbane, Armidale (pop.25,000) is the region’s commercial and educational hub. The city offers excellent transportation facilities for air, rail and road travel. Armidale also provides first-rate shopping, recreation and cultural facilities.
The New England region is famous for its magnificent gorges, waterfalls, rivers and streams and for its four distinct seasons that have earned it the descriptive ‘a city of all seasons’. Summer temperatures rarely climb beyond 33oC. Winter nights are often frosty but the days following are sunny and clear. Autumn and spring arrive with spectacular bursts of flora which attract thousands of tourists.
Campus facilities. UNE has a number of libraries which together subscribe to more than 9,600 journals in print and electronic form, contain comprehensive reference collections and have a combined stock of nearly 1,000,000 volumes. The main library is the Dixson Library, centrally located on campus. The law library is located in the faculty of economics, business and law with the curriculum centre sited in the faculty of education, health and professional studies.
UNE’s information technology division provides computing facilities and support to meet the research and academic requirements of students. Each student is provided access to the internet, PC laboratories and desktop publishing.
 |
| UNE on-campus cafetaria |
The scenic campus is well equipped with its own childcare, medical and dental facilities, a post office, credit union, shops and restaurants. Sports facilities include 15 hectares of playing fields, an international standard synthetic hockey ground, numerous soccer and rugby fields, a gymnasium and heated swimming pool, six squash and eight tennis courts and an indoor stadium. A regular bus service links the campus to town. Moreover the UNE Union and students association offer a wide range of student centred services on campus and host social and cultural events round the year.
Admission. The qualification for admission into UNE’s undergrad programmes is successful completion of class XII or a pre-university certificate with a minimum 60 percent average. International students also have to demonstrate proficiency in English by way of IELTS or TOEFL test scores. For overseas applicants who don’t meet the minimum entry requirement, UNE in conjunction with the New England Institute of TAFE has developed a Foundation Studies Program to provide international students a structured pathway to university level studies.
For admission into UNE’s postgraduate courses, eligibility criteria include a first class bachelor’s degree from a recognised university and IELTS or TOEFL scores. Additionally certain postgrad programmes may require specific entry requirements. The closing date for applications is December 15 for the semester beginning in February and May 15 for the semester starting July. For further information write to the general manager, International Services, International Office, the University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia. Tel: 61 2 6773 2135; fax: 61 2 6773 3325; e-mail: ioadmit@pobox.une.edu.au.
Accommodation. Residential facilities are available through the univer- sity’s extensive on-campus residential college and university flats system or through Armidale’s private rental market. UNE has the highest proportion of students living on campus of all universities in Australia. On-campus accommodation options include seven residential colleges which provide housing to 2,000 students in single, furnished study bedrooms with shared bathrooms. College fees include three meals a day, seven days a week; cleaning services; computing and library facilities and tutorial assistants.
The university flats (Wright Village) offer 47 separate units for accommodation in either four, six or eight study bedrooms with shared cooking, living, bathroom and laundry facilities. While all flats are furnished with essential requirements, students have to do their own housekeeping and provide for linen and cooking equipment.
For students who prefer to live off campus, flats can be easily leased from the private rental market in Armidale. Flats may be furnished or unfurnished and tenants are responsible for paying all electricity, gas and telephone charges as well as a rental bond and weekly rent.
Degree programmes. UNE offers a wide range of undergrad and postgrad degree programmes across the faculties of arts; economics, business and law; education, health and professional studies; and sciences.
Scholastic options at UNE
UNE offers a wide range of undergrad, postgrad and doctoral degree programmes across four faculties. They are:
Faculty of arts. School of classics, history and religion; School of English, communication and theatre; School of human and environmental studies; School of language, cultures and linguistics; School of psychology; School of social science; music
Faculty of economics, business and law. School of economics, School of law and the New England Business School
Faculty of education, health and professional studies. School of education, School of health and School of professional development and leadership
Faculty of sciences. Biological, biomedical and molecular sciences; environmental sciences and natural resources management; mathematics, statistics and computer science; rural science and agriculture
For a detailed list of academic programmes visit www.une.edu.au.
Tuition fee (annual) range from A$12,000-17,000 (undergrad);
A$12,000-22,000 (postgrad)
Living expenses: A$12,000-18,500
NB. A$=Rs.24
Summiya Yasmeen