Institution Profile

Children’s Garden Higher Secondary School, Chennai 

Despite being a quasi-government or aided institution subject to considerable government interference, this pioneer school has established a reputation for innovation and progressive education

Sited in Chennai’s upscale Mylapore, the Children’s Garden Higher Secondary School housed in four compact buildings has established a reputation as one of the most innovative and progressive government-aided schools in the city.

Promoted in 1937 by Ellen Sharma and Dr. V.N.Sharma, the Children’s Garden Higher Secondary School was the first of five schools established by the Children’s Garden School Society to provide primary and secondary education in Tamil and English mediums to students from under-privileged socio-economic backgrounds. The other four are the Ellen Sharma Kindergarten School (Tamil medium); Ellen Sharma Nursery and Primary School (English medium); Ellen Sharma Primary School (Tamil medium) in rural Karapakkam and Ellen Sharma Matriculation and Higher Secondary School (English medium), a residential school in Sholinganallur on the outskirts of Chennai, which has a high enrollment of rural children.

Today, seven decades later, the aggregate enrollment of the five schools is 4,000. Their teachers follow the philosophy of the founder Ellen Sharma, who combined the best of Montessori and Froebel’s pre-school systems and adapted it to Indian conditions.

While continuing the best traditions of Ellen Sharma’s philosophy and innovations, the state board affiliated Children’s Garden Higher Secondary School has made significant strides from the time it admitted its first batch of seven students in 1937. Till the 1950s it was a middle school, which expanded into high school in 1967 and finally into a higher secondary school in 1979. Today this class III-XII school has 1,800 students instructed by 58 teachers. Students of classes III-V (co-education) are instructed in the Tamil medium and classes VI-XII (only for girls) have two sections each for Tamil and English medium schooling. Over the years, the school has absorbed contemporary pedagogies and technological innovations to provide a modern, holistic education to its students.

"We believe in all-round personality development and seek to develop the natural talents and aptitudes of our students. To this end, education in our schools extends far beyond academics to include dance, music, art, theatre, archaeology, ecology, nature walks and other co-curricular programmes. Our objective is to incorporate values and life skills into our curriculum to produce honest, straightforward citizens," says Sakunthala Sharma, daughter of the school’s founders and secretary of the Children’s Garden School Society. An economics, English and education postgraduate of Madras University, Sharma is a veteran with 33 years of teaching experience.

The school has taken keen interest in shaping a botanical garden on its Karapakkam farm, where nature walks are mandatory for all classes. "We focus on activity and project-based learning. Every class does projects on different subjects, participates in science exhibitions and the school regularly bags prizes," says headmistress Saraswathi Raghunathan, a triple postgraduate with a doctorate from Madras University, who has served the school for over 30 years.

The school’s management prides itself that pass percentages in the state board examination are above 85 percent every year with many students scoring above 90 percent. The school also distinguishes itself by its extensive co-curricular menu which includes music, dance, arts and crafts, yoga, nature and science clubs, environment club, junior Red Cross, guides and scouts, National Service Scheme, road safety patrol, and English and Tamil literary associations. In sports, students have won championships and medals in national and international swimming meets, table tennis and chess, and Taekwando tourneys are specially mentored in the Sholinganallur school. The school boasts a Kung-Fu champion in class XII, who won a silver medal in the National Wushu Championship held in Hyderabad recently, and was selected for the South Asian games in 2005.

By the standards of quasi-government or ‘aided’ schools which (because the state government pays teachers’ emoluments) are subject to considerable government control and interference, the attention to detail is remarkable. Support facilities include a crèche for 146 children; a well-equipped healthcare centre; mid-day meal scheme, and provision of integrated education to physically and mentally challenged children. "Our school is a pioneer in mainstreaming differently-abled children," says Sharma.

Children’s Garden has an equally distinguished record of inclusive education for socially underprivileged children, having provided free and subsidised education, food, clothing and shelter to poor and destitute children since 1937. Therefore, the school receives considerable support from philanthropists, corporates, charitable trusts, affluent parents and alumni who donate liberally to its development projects. Moreover, over 71 endowment prizes are awarded to meritorious students in academics and extra-curricular activities. Although tuition fees are heavily subsidised, the school management provides an excellent academic infrastructure for its students. There are four well-equipped laboratories, 34 classrooms, 30 computers, a bookshop, canteen and a well-stocked library with 27,000 volumes, encyclopedias and periodicals.

Unsurprisingly given the school’s sound credentials, there is an annual stampede for admissions. It receives 300 applications for a mere 100 seats in kindergarten every year, and 400 for 150 seats in class XI. Distinguished alumni include former president of India K.R. Venkataraman and S. Jagannathan, former Supreme Court judge.

To maintain its excellent reputation, the school’s management is seriously focused upon learning outcomes. "With a plethora of facilities available, our students can perform much better. But as the number of students needing free education increases, we need the support of more philanthropists so that we can continuously improve the quality of education provided to our students," says Sharma, who through a life devoted to the school, has made it her raison d’etre.

Application forms are issued in January for all classes. Admission into classes VI,VII and VIII is on the basis of an entrance test.

Fees charged in the primary section are very nominal.

Tuition fee per year for English medium students: classes VI-VIII: Rs.200, classes IX-X: Rs.250 and classes XI-XIII: Rs.500

Annual tuition fees for Tamil medium students: classes VI-VIII: Rs.34, classes IX-X: Rs.48.50, and classes XI-XII: Rs.75-105

For further details contact The Children’s Garden Higher Secondary School, 2&4 Dr. Radhakrishnan Road, 7th lane, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004. Ph: 044 28473989.

Hemalatha Raghupathi (Chennai)

University of Toronto, Canada

With an enrollment of 59,389 full-time students and consistently rated # 1, this varsity is Canada’s largest tertiary institution sited in the country’s most culturally diverse city

Founded in 1827, the University of Toronto (UT) is Canada’s largest varsity with an enrollment of 59,389 full-time students tutored by a faculty of 11,365 and an annual budget of C$1.1 billion (Rs.4,620 crore). Sited in downtown Toronto, UT has been consistently ranked as Canada’s # 1 research university by the Tornoto-based Macleans magazine. Likewise, the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Institute of Higher Education in China recently ranked UT 24th among the best 500 universities worldwide — the highest ranking obtained by any Canadian university, while the Times Higher Education Supplement rated it 29th in its annual list of the world’s top 200 varsities.  

Spread across three campuses in Toronto (St. George, Mississauga and Scarborough), University of Toronto offers the widest spectrum of academic programmes of any varsity in Canada. Its 17 academic divisions provide more than 300 study programmes and 2,000 courses in the arts, sciences and business (see box). The university also boasts an endowment fund of C$1.6 billion (Rs.6,720 crore), and the largest library system in Canada with 15 million volumes.

"The University of Toronto offers education on a global scale. As an institution, we have been recognised as Canada’s top university and one of North America’s best public research universities," says David Naylor, president of the university.

Toronto. Rated by Fortune magazine as the world’s best city to live and work in, Toronto (pop. 4.6 million) is Canada’s largest and most culturally diverse city. Over 100 languages and dialects are spoken in Toronto and 49 percent of the city’s residents were born outside of Canada. The streets teem with cafes, restaurants, bookstores, art galleries, and museums and the vibrant city boasts four major sports teams, national ballet and opera companies, a renowned symphony orchestra, and is the world’s third largest English language theatre centre.

Toronto is well-served by an extensive, affordable, public transpor-tation system — the second-largest in North America after New York — and is within driving distance of a number of American cities including Washington, Chicago, Boston and New York. Situated on the shores of Lake Ontario, Toronto’s climate is one of the mildest in Canada. Spring and summer temperatures range between 15ºC-25ºC while during winter months, the average daytime temperature, with the exception of January, the coldest month, hovers just slightly below freezing point.

Campus facilities. Toronto U is spread across three campuses with complete facilities, including residences, libraries and student centres. The largest of the three, the St. George campus is located in the heart of Toronto and houses the faculty of arts and science. The 43,000 students studying in this faculty are all members of one of the seven colleges sited on the St. George campus. Each college offers residential facilities, a library, café and student centre. "Choosing a college is a matter of personal preference and will not affect access to courses or programmes of study," says a Toronto U spokesman.

The university’s Mississauga campus is sited 32 km west of downtown Toronto and offers undergrad and graduate programmes in arts, science, computer and business education. The University of Toronto at Scarborough, 32 km east of Toronto, offers over 200 programme options in more than 80 areas of study including the university’s only management BBA programme and formal co-op degrees. Nestled on 330 acres of lush parklands, this modern state-of-the-art campus is home to 9,000 full-time students.

All three campuses collectively boast the third largest library system in North America with more than 30 libraries holding over 15 million items. Moreover The UT libraries’ website provides access to a wealth of online sources including e-journals, indexes, e-books, and online newspapers.

State-of-the-art sports and recreational facilities are also offered on all campuses. For instance the athletic centre on the St. George campus boasts two swimming pools; a 200 m indoor track; ten squash courts; eight gymnasia; indoor tennis courts; a multi-purpose court for badminton, basketball, and volleyball; a dance studio; a cardio training area; fencing salle; golf cages; and a gym. Moreover, the university has over 300 student clubs and societies. Other on-campus facilities include bookstores, pharmacy, cafes, and an international student centre.

Admission. The minimum eligibility criterion for admission into UT’s undergrad programmes is successful completion of class XII (All India Senior School Certificate awarded by the CBSE/ Indian School Certificate awarded by CISCE or equivalent). Additionally foreign students are required to submit proof of proficiency in the English language. A TOEFL score of 5 is acceptable. The academic year begins in September every year and continues until May. The application deadline is March 1, 2007.

For further information contact Office of Student Recruitment, 25 King’s College Circle, Toronto, Canada M5S 1A1; Tel: 416 978 8342; e-mail: admissions.maillist@utoronto.ca; website: www.utoronto.ca. To apply online visit http://compass.ouac.on.ca.

Accommodation. All first-year foreign students accepted into Toronto U are guaranteed on-campus housing. Currently the university’s three campuses collectively offer housing to more than 7,000 students.

Degree programmes. The University of Toronto offers a broad range of undergrad and postgrad programmes across the faculties of arts and sciences, applied science and engineering, music, physical education and health (see box). The faculty of arts and science is rated among the most comprehensive in North America.

Scholastic options at Toronto

The University of Toronto offers a wide range of undergrad and postgrad programmes on its three campuses. They include:

Faculty of arts and science (St. George campus) comprises the departments of computer science, life sciences, physical and mathematical sciences, humanities and social sciences, commerce

The University of Toronto at Mississauga hosts the schools of anthropology and the study of religion, biology, chemical and physical sciences, economics, English and drama, French, German and Italian, geography, historical studies, management, mathematical and computational sciences, philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology 

The Scarborough campus houses the academic departments of computer science, humanities, life sciences, management, social sciences, physical and environmental sciences

Tuition fee (per year): C$ 16,768-22,105
Living expenses: C$ 8,528-13,306

Summiya Yasmeen