PUBLIC Schools? Exclusive, religious education and its impact

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• Welcome to the 1st World Educational Forum and Fair ! 01/17 07:17am Msgs: 3

• Wat attitudes to govt students have of pulic school students and vice versa in india 11/15 02:39pm Msgs: 1

• Archive through May 09, 2006 05/10 01:40pm Msgs: 20

• Archive through November 30, 2006 11/30 02:33am Msgs: 20

• Archive through December 28, 2005 12/28 04:53pm Msgs: 20

Most important aim must be to open schools such as Doon, Sanawar, Mayo to mainly capable children. Let some of the slots be kept for the rich and powerful. Dr. Manmohan Singh a honest and an intelligent man will sure agree on this. Yes DPS is also a good school but comes in the second level.


Newindpress on Sunday May 18, 2007

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Cool Schools
Friday November 10 2006 14:58 IST
Leher Kala


The Choice International School in Tripunithara, Kerala, may not be spectacular, as one mother admits, but it certainly is impressive. But that's not the real reason she has her two sons studying there. “Peer pressure,” she says, “plain and simple.” The school, running on the Central Board of School Education syllabus, charges around Rs 7,000 per term and is more than an hour and a half away from her house. Sending her sons to the school means her day begins at 5 am and her children’s at 5.30 am but she doesn’t mind since, in her words, “it’s the school to go to.”
Wild bougainvillaea and sugarcane fields line the road to Sharad Pawar International School in Pune, tucked away in the secluded corner of a valley. A typical day on this sprawling 125-acre campus begins, like in any other school, with the school anthem. But this anthem, based on a shloka from the Bhagvad Gita, is composed by pop star Shaan. Uniforms, unlike in other schools which are different for summer and winter, change here four times and are designed with a smart, sporty feel by Mumbai-based fashion designer Shaina N C. The chemistry labs boast LCD projection systems while there is a specially created botanical garden for biology students.
Thousands of kilometers away, at Pathways School in the Aravalli Hills in Haryana, 30 km from Delhi, double-glazed tinted glass shields students from the sun inside the cafeteria. The lunch is an elaborate affair with a variety of pasta, salad and Indian food to choose from. In the evening, students can swim in an Olympic-size pool, play not just cricket or basketball, but also billiards and squash. Two students share an air-conditioned room equipped with a desk and wardrobe. Some children spend their weekends at home and come back on Monday morning.
This is the exclusive world of international schools emerging in India, unapologetically luxurious and offering cutting-edge education.
In the last three years, 30 such schools have opened near Pune, Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi. Bhopal is all set to join the list. Education here costs a minimum of Rs 3 lakh per year and can go up to an astounding Rs 9 lakh, as opposed to Rs 90,000 at Vasant Valley School, considered one of Delhi's best schools. “Our school is for parents who can afford the best,” emphasises L Prabhu, principal, Pathways, which has 570 students. And no, there is no dearth of students. Prabhu is already turning away applications.
At Mallya Aditi International School in Yelahanka, Bangalore they hand out only ten applications forms every year and a student is admitted only if there is a vacancy. If you really want your child to study there, you have to apply when he or she is around three and then pray fervently that by five they make it. School fees are never discussed on the telephone, only in person, and there are only 550 students in the whole school, one section per class only. No wonder, the moment you mention “exclusive school” in Bangalore, they point you towards Yelahanka.
Traditional boarding schools like Mayo and Sanawar, considered elitist, are still decidedly old world: Management prides itself on offering the best education but providing students only basic comforts and the merits of frugal living. When GD Goenka in Delhi started air-conditioned classrooms and buses a decade ago, it led to furious debates.
But the new breed of international schools has unabashedly embraced comfort and futuristic technology. Like over 600 private high schools in the US and a 100 in the UK, these educational institutions follow the International Baccalaureate (IB) system, a relatively new but highly rated programme, originally geared towards ex-pat European children based outside their countries.
Oakridge International School in Hyderabad gives parents the option of setting their children in a CBSE syllabus (Rs 1.1 lakh per annum) or an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (Rs 2.5 lakh per annum). Spread over five acres, this “exclusive” school, right now in its fifth academic year, offers everything a child can dream of… from swimming pools, tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball courts to three libraries — two for books and one for toys from all over the world.
In 1982, the American School in Delhi was the first to introduce IB in India. Now, it has become a craze among privileged Indians, keen on a world-class education for their children. Around 80 per cent of Pathways' students come from business families. Only 20 per cent are foreigners or children of NRIs.
Seeing the growing popularity of the IB board, even Delhi's Sri Ram School and The Doon School have started offering it as an option along with CBSE, to their 10+2 students, but minus the frills.
Mercedes Benz International School (MBIS) in Pune started off to cater to foreign IT executives in the city. “Now half our students are Indians and their number is growing every year,” says Michael Thompson, director, MBIS.
Sunita Jindal, a Delhi-based entrepreneur, pulled her 14-year-old son out of a prominent city school and opted for Pathways two years ago. “Sanchit is now trained in four sports and enjoys studying. He's more confident and sure of himself,” says the proud mother.
Pune-based businesswoman Renu Arya recently admitted her 16-year-old daughter Payal to MIT's Vishwashanti Gurukul in Pune. The school looks like a castle you'd find in Scotland, and is built on a property originally owned by actor Raj Kapoor. It has a nine-hole golf course and diet-counselling for students. “The exposure here is great,” says Arya, adding: “Payal can choose any combination of subjects.” Unlike the Indian rote method, the IB system encourages students to be creative. “The idea is to make learning fun,” says Birla Gaur, coordinator at the G D Goenka World School, which also follows IB. For the final exams, students have to submit a 4,500-word essay on a subject of choice. A student who learns Bharatnatyam chose to write on the Devdasis.
At the Glendale Academy campus in Hyderabad, children get tutored in what they call a life skills studio. The Studio comprises a music studio (think any instrument and your child gets to play it), an art studio, home studio (kind of a finishing school where they are taught etiquette etc), and an exploratory lab (to learn everything from gardening to making a sandwich).
This flexible approach to education in an idyllic setting helps kids discover themselves. Everyone is graded and no one comes first or second. After class four, one can choose between French or German, instead of Sanskrit and Hindi (both mandatory in CBSE).
It’s the same scene in Gateway — The Complete School, Chennai. KR Malaathi, principal, says there are no exams here or learning by rote. “Children are encouraged to explore and discover things for themselves.” The school, on the IT highway in the outskirts of Chennai, opened just a month ago and already offers facilities such as a baby pool, splash pool, horse-riding lessons, Spanish classes from grade 1, and basketball and football courts and airconditioned classrooms.
Schools like MBIS and Pathways, meanwhile, are proud of the completely Wi-Fi campus and laptops-replacing-notebooks. They believe the frills are integral to a better learning experience. Pathways School has only 16 students per class and follows a teaching method called the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, advocated by a Harvard professor. “According to this theory, children can be gifted in eight different ways,” explains Prabhu. “Our teachers are trained to recognise the child's strengths and teach accordingly.”
The emphasis is mostly on an international curriculum. Exposure to Indian culture is through community service, compulsory under the IB system. So every Friday, teenage students of Pathways head to a nearby village school, equipped with jute, to make tables for children studying in a mud hut.
But though straitlaced Indian teachers approve of the education technique, they frown upon the five-star culture. “The board is good but children should grow up rough and tough,” says Manisha Malhotra of The Sri Ram School. “We provide international education with an Indian flavour.” However, with their astronomical fees, the IB board is restricted to the well-heeled Indian. “This method teaches through enquiry and is an excellent module,” says Abha Adams, a Delhi-based educationist. “The only problem is there's no eclectic mix of students.”
However, it’s clear these schools are geared towards kids who see their futures overseas. With reservations and unreal cut-offs in Indian colleges, people who can afford it prefer sending their children to foreign universities. Indian colleges are not yet an option for IB graduates. The results come in August and admissions here finish by July. “It's not a straightforward process yet,” agrees L Prabhu, who is collaborating with some private universities to grant Pathways' students' provisional admission.
However, Cyris Vakil, director of studies at the Mahindra United World School in Pune, is not sure how well IB students could perform in competitive entrance examinations. So far, only two of his students have made it to an engineering college in India. “If that's the goal, CBSE or ICSE schools might be better,” he says.
While the debate goes on between the different worlds of learning, this new education model is yet another step in the search of a schooling utopia.
— With Kamini Mathai

By Anonymous on Friday, March 23, 2007 - 02:02 am:

Most of our politicians talk of Desi lifestyle yet they send their kids to these schools. our certainly is an old civilization so why imitate any person iin culture. just take the best. These schools are very good in many ways. I would send my son to St. Paul's and not top Doon School, Lawrence School Sanawar or Mayo College.

You are correct there is something mystic about Darjeeling.

By Lahiri on Saturday, January 20, 2007 - 10:39 pm:

No arguement Sanawar, Doon and Mayo are excellent schools. St. Paul's Darjeeling has a class of its own and is point higher.

Welcome to St. Paul's School

Located 7500 feet above sea level and acclaimed as the highest public school in the world, the origin and early history of this well known institution, the second oldest in Bengal, dates as far back as the year 1823 when John William Ricketts, a prominent Anglo-Indian leader, conceived the idea of founding a public school to meet the needs of the growing Anglo-Indian population in Calcutta.

At a meeting with friends, parents and guardians of the community, "The Parental Academic Institution", as it was to be known, was established. It began functioning on the 1st of May 1823 in a small two-storeyed building at 11 Park Street. More>>

By Sehgal on Saturday, January 20, 2007 - 06:00 pm:

Lawrence School Sanawar is the best. The oldest traditions. Better than both Doon and Mayo. Proud kids respect for all. Look up to no one look down on no one. True people of the land of Aryans, India. Take good ideas from all yet Indian culture lovers. Also Stamp of Sanawar was issued by Indian government. note below what educationtionist Gray has to say:

The Tribune, Saturday, August 5, 2000 F E A T U R E




Another shade of Gray
By H. Kishie Singh

"ONE of my resolutions was to move the school forward and fast. So from a conceptual management plan we have moved to an action plan", said Andrew Gray, the new headmaster of Lawrence School, Sanawar.

And what better way to start than with the classrooms, where the seed of knowledge is sown. The classrooms are being refurbished. False ceilings are being installed and the rooms are being made user-friendly. The earlier classrooms had high roofs, bare stone walls and floors — everything looked cold, impersonal and had the ambience of a warehouse.

The new classrooms will be more colourful, and conducive to learning. So far the classrooms had been assigned to the students, and the teachers went from one classroom to the other to teach the students. As per the new plan, the teachers would be assigned classrooms. It would be "their classroom and keeping it neat, clean, good looking would be the personal responsibility of the teachers. This is designed to make learning a pleasant and pleasurable experience."

Andy Gray’s association with Sanawar goes back to 1979, when Andy had been looking for a sabatical for one year away from the U.K. At that time he was in Shrewsbury School, one of the top public schools in England. Eric Anderson, headmaster of Shrewsbury School, sanctioned Andy the leave he had sought.

"Maximum two years, Andy" said Eric Anderson from the UK. But that was not to be. Andy stayed on in Sanawar for more than four years. It was finally in 1983 that Andy Gray returned to the UK.

When asked about the changes he finds in the school since 1983, Andy Gray thoughtfully said: "Children are children all over the world. They don’t change. They are exactly how I would expect them to be. The teaching methods, however, need to be changed.

Andy has no illusions about Sanawar. "There is no getting away from the fact that this school is one of the major educational institutions in the world. However, it would foolish to pretend that Sanawar still is the great school that it once was. One of my jobs would be to reverse that downtrend.

"One reason why the school floundered over in the recent years could be that it had lost its vision of what it was trying to achieve, for whom and how. It could be due to the changes in the global situation of classroom development.

"We are currently rebuilding the library, making it a 21st century library and linking it with the other learning centres around the world. Every child will have an e-mail address.

"We hope to display some of Sanawar’s past. Children will be in constant touch with their heritage. The library would be a living museum. We have documents, coins, photographs, old projectors, old uniforms, school colours from years gone by. The library would be alive with Sanawar’s past — bits and pieces of memorabilia that are the heritage of the school. When children get fed up with studying, they can wander over and see these things and become aware of the traditions of their school. The library would be a source of learning for the teachers as well. Children will see that adults also learn, and will understand that learning is an ongoing process. Learning does not stop when you leave school. It’s a lifelong process.

"If you have to survive in the global economy, you have to continue to upgrade your skills and knowledge", said Andy Gray.

Keeping this in mind, 40 staff members have decided to upgrade their computer skills. Everyone at Sanawar will be computer savvy.

Andy Gray was concerned about the magnificent buildings of Sanawar which are in need of renovation and repair. Another issue on his priority list is water harvesting. "The quality of life must improve", he asserts. "We have a lot of land here. Sanawar has 150 acres. Since there is a lot of water here during July and August, we need to have storage tanks and develop water catchment areas.

Shortage of water has left a negative impact on the teaching and learning curriculum of the school!

"How does a child learn who comes to class in the morning not having had a proper wash?" Good question, indeed!

In the almost two decades that Andy Gray was in the U.K. he held some prestigious posts. He was headmaster of Breckenborough School in North Yorkshire for five years. He set up an independent school in Scotland. "It was a grand old castle and nothing else! Absolutely nothing. My first job was to go out and buy paper clips!"

He then took over a school in Cheshire which subsequently expanded into an educational foundation. He was Chief Executive of an institution that was responsible for education, health and social service. He was finally elevated to the post of Chairman of the National Association of Independent Schools.

Then last summer he learnt on the web that Sanawar was on the lookout for a headmaster. And so here he is. The rest will be history.

A friendly bearded face, bubbling with energy, bursting with ideas, Andy Gray is a man with a mission and a vision.

By Anonymous on Sunday, January 07, 2007 - 06:53 pm:

Me thinks Mayo is better than both Lawrence School Sanawar and Doon School. Go to our site: mayocollege.com/OldBoysAssociationOnlineNews.asp and then make a genuine comparision.

I am of the opinion that our civilization is great and on firm roots. Thus we can learn from all and yet not compromise our identity. I also think the Editor of this site is going overboard and is baiting Indians. Indians are an ancient time-tested civilization not shaky. we do not look to any other civilization for acceptance!

Many Netajis criticize the Indian Public School system yet line up to get their kids accepted to these schools.
I am sure the Editor of this site belongs to the same category. If he or she has guts and is a true democrat this post by me will be left untouched.

By Anonymous on Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 12:21 am:

Doon is the best visit the site of Doon School see the reality.

See also in Wikipedia what Doon chaps think of Lawrence School Sanawar and Mayo College. Is this not true? Who also heard or care for the word brown, we all are surely mostly purest of the great Aryan Race.

Read some things interesting on Doon below:

Jana Gana Mana by Rabindranath Tagore was chosen as The Doon School's school song in 1935. The song was adopted by India as the national anthem in 1947.
Arthur E. Foot, the first headmaster of Doon, was an older brother of Michael Foot, a former leader of England's Labor Party.
The first Indian Rhodes Scholar was a Dosco.
In Salman Rushdie's East-West Stories the characters Zulu and Chekhov are Doscos.
In Kiran Doshi's Birds on Wings the central character Abhay is a Dosco.
Doon has no commencement ceremony. As and when they've finished their board exams, the boys just leave. Over half of Doscos attend college outside of India. [5]
In the 1950s two Doscos climbed the Matterhorn wearing cricket boots (they descended using crampons).
The Dosco old-boys network was included by The Economist, among the top 20 most influential in the world.
Doon's traditional rivals are Mayo College and Sanawar. Alumni of Doon have been Principals of Mayo and Sanawar, but not the other way around.

POST BY A PROUD DOSCO

By Gmehta on Sunday, December 24, 2006 - 11:33 pm:

No one denies that Lawrence School Lovedale, Lawrence School Sanawar, St. Paul's, Doon School, Mayo and a couple of more schools are excellent for generating leaders of India in all areas provided these people are also given higher education after the solid base they get in these schools. One of these The Lawrence School has even a stamp issued in its name by the Indian government. These schools are world class but not all the students going into these schools have the pluck to take advantage of these schools. My suggestion is that open some of the slots in these schools to children only on the basis of their talent. Our nation will gain due to this.

I do not really understand the term "Brown" what is it supposed to mean? Many people Arabs, Italians, French, Spanish, Greeks, Portoguese and many other people could have a Brown colour. Also do not also forget that many Indians are extremely light skinned. So I guess this term which you the editor for your own people (if you are an Indian) are using has no basis and seems to be more foreign in origin.

I do agree India has an ancient culture and a civilization which must NEVER be compromised, but this in no way means we do not stay open and learn from all. The British Public School System has many plus points.

By Drbiswas on Saturday, December 09, 2006 - 11:04 pm:

I do not agree you regarding schools. I think St. Paul's is for sure the best, better than Lawrence School Sanawar and the rest.

I agree the Brown word is a foreign plant for indians and some Indians to draw mileage from foreigners are amplifying this. We are mostly Aryans.

By Anonymous on Saturday, December 09, 2006 - 06:48 pm:

I am in agreement. Our ministers and richies like even Laloo want to send their children to schools such as Lawrence School, Doon, Mayo, St. Paul's if they can as the adminnistrators of these schools look for class and quality.

The Public school, with Indian backbone (our rich Indian values) with British Public school output produce great leaders. Caution is that we not imitate the Europeans in culture but only learn objective thinking from them.

The Brown term is only a bait of some Indians for foreigners to prop up the foreigners. By large Indians are Aryans and many brown people live in Arabia, Italy Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Argentina etc.
A true Indian looks up to no one and looks down on no one.


In ever field the Public School dominates. Even recently in sports one of the best shots is Manvjit singh Sandhu a product of Lawrence School Sanawar.

By Anonymous on Saturday, December 02, 2006 - 02:29 am:

I believe there is hypocracy like many parts of the world in India too. Our culture is great but must learn from all. No true Aryan as most Indians are genuine Aryans looks up or looks down on any other entity.

Keep our culture yet stay open. Forget Western ideas such as, dating, free sex etc. Keep these away from our great schools like St. Paul's Doon, Sanawar, Lovedale, Mayo and a few others than we have the best world class end product. An Indian in culture with learning and leadership qualities based on many ideas.

Forget Brown I never heard this term. You probably are baiting Indians by this term.

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