In India which hosts a population of diverse religions and degrees of conservatism, the country’s top-ranked girls boarding schools continue to serve the very useful purpose of providing egalitarian education to girl children
Although in Western countries, all-girls schools are becoming rare, in developing nations of the third world where conservative families and religiously orthodox households prefer to pull girl children post puberty out of education rather than attend co-ed schools, they offer girls the chance to avail high-quality K-12 education. In India, the best girls schools — some of them a century plus old — routinely outperform the top co-ed and all-boys schools in school-leaving board exams. Moreover even in socially advanced countries there are many advocates of single sex schools who argue that they are academically preferable as they are less distracting and enable boys and girls to better focus on their learning. For instance, some members of the US-based National Education Association argue vigorously in favour of sexually segregated schools.
However, in India which hosts a population with diverse religions and degrees of conservatism, the country’s top-ranked girls boarding schools have served — and continue to serve — the very useful purpose of providing high quality, egalitarian primary-secondary education to girl children from upper middle class households. But the fact that the EW league table of all-girls boarding schools comprises only 15 institutions which are sufficiently well-known to be rated and ranked, tells its own story.
Be that as it may, in this year’s league table of girls boarding schools there’s a rearrangement of the seating at top table. The long reign of the Dehradun-based Welham Girls is over with the relatively low-profile Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya, Gwalior (SKV, estb.1956) ranked #1 by this year’s sample respondents. With high ratings under the parameters of leadership, internationalism and community service, SKV has pipped Welham Girls, Dehradun and Mayo College Girls, Ajmer which are jointly ranked second, at the post.
“A cloudburst of euphoria enveloped our school when we got the news that after several years among the Top 3, this year’s sample respondents have rated and ranked SKV India’s #1 girls boarding school. The moment will be etched in the collective memory of the school. SKV has been on a fascinating journey of self-discovery over the past few years. We have rediscovered our strengths, challenged our weaknesses and embraced opportunities. In the process of reinventing ourselves, we have come closer to embodying the spirit of SKV which our founder the late Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia, had breathed into this institution. I believe that by attaining this top ranking we have realised her dream of building an education institution that gives strong women to the country,” says Nishi Misra, a history and education postgraduate of Allahabad University and former principal of the Vidya Devi Jindal School, Hissar (Haryana) who was appointed principal of SKV in 2010, since when this low-profile school ranked #21 in 2012 began its upward trajectory. While expressing satisfaction with SKV’s top rating on the parameter of community service (“a defining factor of life at SKV”), Misra modestly declined to comment on the school’s top rating/ on the criterion of leadership/quality of management.
Kanchan Khandke, principal of the Mayo College Girls School (MCGS, estb.1988) — jointly ranked #2 with Welhams Girls — sportingly congratulated SKV on the latter’s promotion to the top spot this year, and draws comfort from MCGS’ top-ratings on sports and life skills education. “We believe in nurturing the latent capabilities inherent in every child. Our institutional objective is to send young women who are original thinkers capable of ushering change, out into the world. We offer a variety of sports options and give them opportunities to compete at the school, district, state, national and international levels. Thus they are exposed to high standards and learn to challenge themselves and discover their true potential. Life skills develop as a result of exposure to enriched academic, co-curricular and sports programmes as well as to dynamic individuals whose achievements they wish to emulate,” says Khandke, a history and education alumna of Calcutta and Pune universities who taught history and English at several top-ranked education institutions including the National Defence Academy, Pune, Welham Girls, Dehradun and Indus International, Pune before signing up with MCGS as vice principal in 2011 and subsequently being promoted to the principal’s office in 2013. Currently MCGS has 750 girl students mentored by 100 faculty on its muster rolls (annual tuition fee: Rs.5.91 lakh).
In this year’s Top 5 table there are two new entrants — the Vidya Devi Jindal School for Girls, Hissar (Haryana) and the Mody School, Lakshmangarh, Rajasthan (MSL, estb. 1989), jointly ranked #5. Meeta Sharma, an alumna of North-Eastern University, Shillong and University College, London, who served a long stint (2004-16) as a science teacher at the top-ranked The Doon School before she was appointed principal of MSL, is elated by this all-girls’ school’s steady progress up the EW league table.
“Success is not a destination but a journey. I am elated that Mody School is now ranked among the Top 5 all- girls’ boarding schools in India. We believe in preparing our girls for an active and responsible role in society and the country. Our vision is to develop each student’s ability to recognise individual differences, acknowledge common bonds, and contribute to the greater good. In MSL we are creating a value system where individuals are capable of managing their own health and well-being, and are equipped with the skills necessary for problem solving, self-direction, self-motivation, lifelong learning, conflict resolution, and building healthy relationships. I am glad there is growing awareness of our mission and values in the wider educators and parents’ communities,” says Sharma.
Further down the all-girls boarding schools league table, the Birla Balika Vidyapeeth, Pilani, (6) and Guru Nanak Fifth Centenary, Mussoorie (7) have improved their positions reflecting the better rankings of almost all home-grown, indigenously developed schools across all categories.
Clearly, even if belatedly, there’s a new wind blowing across K-12 education in India.
To view Girls Boarding Schools Rankings 2017, please visit: http://www.educationworld.in/rank-school/all-cities/boarding-school/girls/2017.html