I was pleasantly surprised to read that teachers are finally getting their due in India (EW October cover story ‘Big paydays ahead for India’s teachers’). For far too long, teachers have been under-appreciated and under-paid in Indian society.
But I think the big paydays you are talking about is limited to teachers in government schools and high-end private international schools. The majority of mid-rung private unaided and aided schools completely disregard the Sixth Pay Commission recommended pay scales for teachers. Since there is no strict monitoring of teachers’ pay in private schools by state-level ministries of education, most of them get away with paying their teachers a measly Rs.5,000 per month. In fact you need to do an investigative feature exposing how private school managements exploit teachers.
Sumana Thakur
Delhi
Correction please
In the pictorial essay on the EW India School Rankings 2015 Awards Nite, on page 91 you have misprinted the rank of Vidya Sanskar International as #10 instead of #9 on the photo.
Our school was ranked #9 all-India in the international day-cum-boarding schools category.
Vasudha Neel Mani
Principal, Vidya Sanskar International School, Faridabad
We regret the error — Editor
Qualified thanks
I want to congratulate you for your laudable initiative of ranking schools across the country (EW September). It’s wonderful that EducationWorld has recognised deserving schools in different categories.
In particular, I want to thank you for ranking Amar Jyoti, Delhi in the special needs category. Amar Jyoti is a unique institution, especially for its inclusivity. The school provides a holistic education programme to children with and without disabilities. Once again thanks for including Amar Jyoti, even though it’s ranked as a special needs school instead of a school for inclusive education.
Dr. Uma Tuli
Founder & managing secretary
Amar Jyoti, Delhi
Nominal correction
Please note the name of our school has been misprinted in the September issue of EducationWorld. On page 72, under the Noida section, our name has been published as ‘Khaitan Public School’ and on page 82 under Delhi NCR (Rank 54), it has been printed as ‘The Khaitan Public School’.
Kindly note our name is The Khaitan School effective from June 2015.
Vedant Khaitan
Noida
Doubtful credibility
I am a regular subscriber of EducationWorld. It’s a good resource for educators and school administrators. But the recent September issue has created doubts in my mind about your process of ranking schools.
I was surprised to see a school in a small town of Rajasthan being ranked among the Top 20 in the state. I have been heading a school in the same town for the past 20 years. The school in question is running with part-time teachers who are paid meagre salaries. There are other schools in small towns with great alumni, infrastructure, faculty, etc.
I don’t know from whom or where opinions have been taken for this survey. Such inaccurate rankings harm the credibility of your survey.
M.S. Wig on email
Updation process query
Re your system of ranking and rating schools (EW September), I am a member of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) of the 148-year-old St. Vincent’s School, Pune, the best boys school in Pune. An excellent academic record, dedicated faculty, international exchange programmes, social inclusion, value education, and exceptional sports education set this school apart.
However, the school’s new developments and achievements have not been adequately highlighted. I request you to guide me about the process by which we can update you about the school’s development and progress in various key areas.
Niketa Mulay
PTA member
St. Vincent’s School, Pune
Please download, complete and dispatch the school questionnaire available on our website (educationworld.in) — Editor
Identity confusion
We wish to bring to your attention an error in the EW India International Day Schools Rankings 2015 published in September. On pages 223 and 224, the name of our school has been erroneously printed as Vaels Billabong High International School which is a preschool of ours in Neelankarai, Chennai. The correct name of the school registered under the category of international secondary schools (until class XII) is Vaels International School, Injambakkam.
Please issue a corrigendum and correct it on your website.
R. Meenakshi
Principal, Vaels International School, Chennai
Delhi Marathon call
Thank you for ranking Tamana — School of Hope as India’s #1 special needs school (EW September).
I was a spastic child and couldn’t sit, stand or walk until age nine. But on November 29, I am running the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon to support the NGO Tamana which was founded by my mother Dr. Shayama Chona. I am running with my visually impaired best friends, Diwakar Sharma and Tapas Bhardwaj. I will be holding their hands and navigating them through the marathon.
By participating in the marathon, we want to prove to the world that despite our different abilities we can also support causes.
Marathons throughout the world have been a source of bringing about social change, an arena to create awareness and to give back to society. I request you all to join me and Tamana in this endeavour.
Tamana Chona
Tamana — School of Hope, Delhi
Divisive survey
In your cover story EW India School Rankings 2015 (EW September) you have very carefully singled out 1,000 of the best schools in the country. But they are producing/manufacturing students as commodities required by the demands of the market. These schools, their promoters, principals and teachers are engaged in dividing Indian society vertically.
The rich, high-profile and financially well-off parents can afford the cost of education in them and consequently will be able to compete in the ‘survival of the fittest’ market economy. The poor, backward, scheduled castes and tribes cannot ever access such schools. Parents and families living hand-to-mouth cannot dream of sending their children to these schools.
Under s.135 (1) of the Companies Act 2013, it is mandatory for large companies to spend 2 percent of their net profit on education, health etc and receive income tax rebates. This has also become a great fraud.
The Dr. Ambedkar Kindergarten School and Dr. Ambedkar Memorial High School, Bhadrawati, in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, promoted by me 40 years ago to provide quality English medium education to very poor, scheduled caste and nomadic tribes children, charge the lowest fees in Maharashtra. Since we don’t get any government grants and cannot raise fees, our teachers are admittedly poorly paid.
With a view to provide better education to the poor and deprived boys, I appealed to N.R. Narayan Murthy’s Infosys Foundation to provide 20 personal computers out of their CSR funds for education of our students. But to my surprise Murthy’s CSR funds are meant for American universities rather than for poor students in India. I also appealed to Ratan Tata of Tata Sons to provide two Tata Magic Vans from CSR funds for bringing our boys to school from their villages. Our appeal was totally ignored by him. I also appealed to the public sector Western Coalfield Ltd., Nagpur for CSR funds to construct a compound wall around our school premises. But in WCL there appears to be great caste prejudice among high officials against Dr. Ambedkar. After four years, WCL has done nothing to comply with the recommendations of the Union ministry of coal.
Isn’t Indian society divided vertically between rich and poor? Education has become an instrument of exploitation, dividing India into haves and have-nots. We are entering a great danger era of social conflict, discrimination and exploitation.
Adv. Ram Khobragade
Founder & Hon. secretary, Friends Education Society, Bhadrawati
Maharashtra
Please note we have also rated and ranked government, private budget and special needs schools — Editor
Wrongly interpreted
Your Lucknow correspondent who wrote the Education News report (EW August) seems unaware that the Right of Children to Free & Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 is being wrongly interpreted to defame City Montessori School (CMS), Lucknow. The BSA (basic shiksha adhikari) official had directed CMS to admit 31 students under s.12 (1) (c) of the Act, following which we filed a stay application in the Lucknow high court. After due consideration, the court directed CMS to admit 13 children.
The RTE Act clearly states that children must be admitted into private schools nearest to their place of residence. The education ministry’s advertising also clearly states s.12 (1) (c) children will be admitted into private schools in their neighbourhood. All the children recommended for admission into CMS reside in Lavkush Nagar, where the neighbourhood Munni Devi School had 16 vacant seats in nursery and class I. Moreover, Luvkush Nagar hosts five other schools.
We had already informed the BSA that admissions in our school had been completed by the time we received his letter. Yet, BSA officials continue to pester us with notices.
Hari Om Sharma
Chief public relations officer
City Montessori School, Lucknow