Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya, Gwalior

SKV is a nationally top-ranked all-girls legacy boarding school offering contemporary education rooted in Indian traditions and values  Autar Nehru

Founded in 1956 by Rajmata (Queen mother) Vijaya Raje Scindia (1919-2001) of the princely dynasty which ruled the principality of Gwalior incorporated into the state of Madhya Pradesh in 1956, Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya (SKV) is a top-ranked girls’ legacy boarding school offering contemporary education rooted in Indian traditions and values to 550 class VI-XII students. In the latest EducationWorld India School Rankings 2014, the CBSE-affiliated SKV is ranked among the country’s Top 3 all-girls boarding schools and #1 in Madhya Pradesh (pop. 73 million).

“Sixty years ago when girls’ education was relatively neglected, the Rajmata envisioned an institution which would provide girl children of this country modern education to enable them to develop into leaders who would play an important role in building a strong, independent India. Over the years, we have designed a unique pastoral care programme defined by peer and teacher support groups, and expert counselling care to enable students to discover and develop their latent talents and potential. Our highly-qualified 48 teachers offer individual attention and superior pastoral care to every girl child to ensure their all-round development, empowering and preparing them to assume leadership positions in society,” says Nishi Misra, an alumna of Allahabad University who acquired valuable teaching and administrative experience in Nainital’s St. Mary’s, All Saints and Sherwood College and served as headmistress of the top-ranked Vidya Devi Jindal School, Hisar, before being appointed principal of SKV in 2010. 

A member of the prestigious Indian Public Schools Conference (estb.1973), an association of the country’s top legacy boarding schools, SKV students have consistently topped the all-India CBSE class XII board exams. In the 2014 class XII board exam, SKV girls averaged 87.3 percent with 75 percent of them scoring over 90 percent. The school’s alumni roll includes Madhya Pradesh state cabinet minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia, Union women and child welfare minister Maneka Gandhi, author Anjana Appachana and Jyotsna Brar, principal of Welham Girls, Dehradun.

Sited in the heart of Gwalior on a 35-acre neat, lush green campus which once hosted a forest, and formerly part of the Scindia palace grounds, SKV is managed by the Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya Society presided by Rajmata Madhvi Raje Scindia and other members of the Scindia clan. Its brother school — the all-boys Scindia School, Gwalior (estb. 1897) — is administered by the Scindia Education Society headed by Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia.

A labour of love of the legendary Rajmata, who in a tumultuous 23-year political career transformed into a popular BJP leader, SKV hosts several heritage buildings including Kamla Bhawan, built in 1880 AD as a VVIP lounge with an elaborate ballroom adorned with paintings of the Nandlal Bose school, and Vijaya Bhawan, which boasts a Romanesque Colonnade. A centuries-old banyan tree under which Maharaja Jivarao Scindia and his wife spent many leisure hours studying peacocks — still popular inhabitants of the campus — is now designated a meditation area.

With the management committed to providing thoroughly modern academic infrastructure and sports facilities, several buildings have been added over the years. The academic block hosts 24 spacious classrooms fitted with Smart Boards, three science labs, two computer centres, and a maths lab. The school’s library houses over 10,000 printed volumes and offers wi-fi access, while a 500-seat auditorium equipped with superb acoustics is the venue of cultural and social events. Five hostels supervised by trained house mistresses offer dormitory-style accommodation, study and common rooms supplemented with a 22-bed hospital. Special emphasis is given to sports education with play and training facilities provided for nine sporting disciplines including swimming, basketball, tennis, taekwondo, track and field athletics, handball, cricket,  badminton, table-tennis and chess. 

Sports and extra-curricular facilities apart, the SKV management pulls out all stops to provide students international exposure, develop their cultural sensitivities and offer community service opportunities. “SKV is a member of the London-based Round Square International which has a restricted membership of only 90 schools worldwide, under which we have a student exchange programme with the Woodbridge School, London. Under the Friends of Round Square International, we have set up a sanitary napkin manufacturing unit named Sankalp, under which our girls supply napkins to underprivileged women in Zagra and Sausa villages in the neighbourhood. This student-led project has won several international awards. Our Shrimant Madhav Rao Scindia Dharohar heritage festival has also attracted national acclaim,” says Misra.

Fully committed to delivering a culturally rooted but internationally benchmarked education experience to its girl students, SKV is planning a big bang 60th anniversary celebration next year. “We plan to complete construction of a multi-purpose gymnasium and publish a volume of short stories authored by 18 of our girls. SKV’s goal is to empower girl children to maximise their potential through progressive education. We will continuously improve to achieve this objective,” says Misra.

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