Indus International School, Bangalore; Pathways World School, Aravali and The International School Bangalore have been reaffirmed as India’s Top 3 international day-cum-boarding schools in that order
For the second year in a row, the 2,915 sample respondents interviewed by C fore field researchers in the southern and northern regions have voted the Indus International School, Bangalore (IIS-B), Pathways World School, Aravali and The International School, Bangalore (TISB) as the country’s top three international day-cum-boarding schools in that order. However further down this year’s EW league table in this category, there’s a substantial rejig in the pecking order. Indus International, Pune — an affiliate institution of the #1 ranked IIS-B — has moved up from #6 in 2013 to #4 this year as has the Canadian International School, Bangalore from #9 into the Top 5.
Likewise the newly promoted Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad (estb. 2011) has also risen high in the public esteem to share the sixth rank (from #14 in 2013) with the G.D. Goenka World School, Sohna Road, Gurgaon (#5). Ranked #7 jointly are the Genesis Global School, Noida which has retained its 2013 position and Indus International, Hyderabad (also an affiliate school of IIS-B), which was ranked #11 last year.
The other invitees to the Top 10 table this year are the low-profile Stonehill International, Bangalore (#8) followed by two Delhi NCR schools — Lancers International, Gurgaon and Vidya Sanskar International, Faridabad — at #9. The Singapore International School, Mumbai — ranked #4 in 2013 — has dropped to #10 while the Bhubaneswar-based KiiT International School has risen from #14 in 2013 to share the tenth rank in 2014.
Sarojini Rao, an economics and education postgraduate of Pune and Annamalai universities and principal of the IBO-affiliated Indus International School, Bangalore since 2006, is elated that the school has retained its #1 rank in this category, and is top-ranked on the parameters of community service, individual attention to students and leadership/management quality. “Our #1 rank is acknowledgement of the good job we’re doing, and motivation to take the school to the next level. We have been working on pioneering best education practices and improving teaching-learning standards across the board while continuing to improve our infrastructure and community outreach activities. For instance, we are the first school in the country to build a genomics lab and offer nanotechnology, and simultaneously we’re collaborating with an NGO to offer free education to street children. Therefore our top ranks for community service and individual attention to students are particularly satisfying. Moreover we are delighted that our affiliated schools in Pune and Hyderabad have improved their ranking and are now in the Top 10. It reaffirms that the education processes and systems we have pioneered and implemented are working well,” says Rao.
Another major advantage enjoyed by the three IIS schools is the leadership of group chief executive Lt. Gen. (Retd) Arjun Ray, a highly decorated soldier of the Indian Army (Operation Sadbhavna). Under his command IIS-B has been ranked #1 on the parameter of leadership/management quality for the past five years.
There is jubilation also in the Canadian International School (CIS), Bangalore which has risen considerably in the esteem of the 2,160 respondents in peninsular India to be elevated to #5 this year. Promoted in 1999, CIS was the garden city’s first school to introduce the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma programme (class XI-XII). Now it also offers the curriculums of the North American (Ontario) ministry of education and Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), UK to its 570 students.
“This is great news. I believe that the public has taken note of our excellent IB diploma and IGCSE results. Year on year our students have been scoring well above the global average in these board exams resulting in excellent university placements. We are also continuously upgrading the school’s infrastructure and are all set to inaugurate our new performing arts centre this year. Our Top 5 ranking this year reflects public appreciation of our commitment to academic excellence and infrastructure upgradation,” says Shweta Sastri, executive director of the K-12 CIS.
Pramod Sharma, former principal of the Tashi Namgyal Academy, Gangtok; Yadavindra Public School, Patiala and Mayo College, Ajmer and currently founder principal of the Genesis Global School (GGS), Noida, is equally pleased that the five-year-old school has held on to its seventh ranking in the competitive list of India’s best day-cum-boarding schools. Sited on a 30 acre campus in Noida hosting 85 IT-enabled classrooms and excellent sports facilities including a full-fledged cricket academy, GGS offers its 1,015 students the choice of the IGCSE and IB curriculums.
“For a school promoted in 2010, it’s quite an achievement for us to maintain our position for two years in a row. The credit for this must go to our team of committed and handpicked faculty, superb infrastructure with the best sports facilities in Delhi NCR, a vibrant programme featuring over 21 sports, and our inclusive education which is managed by the country’s best teachers. Moreover our robotics and debating programmes are winning national and even international acclaim,” says Sharma.
To see international day-cum-boarding schools league table visit http://www.educationworld.in/rank-school/all-cities/international-school/day-cum-boarding/2014.html