Further improvement required
I am a retired teacher with considerable domain knowledge of school education. Therefore I read your cover story ranking India’s top schools (EW September) with great attention.
However after reading it carefully, I wonder if the public interest is served by your featuring detailed league tables based purely on the perceptions of sample respondents, no matter how carefully selected. The public interest would be better served if you presented a survey which is partly based on ascertained facts and partly on perceptions. This methodology would eliminate the possibility of some schools unwarrantedly receiving high ratings on several parameters of excellence. For instance, it is absurd to rank St. Paul’s School, Darjeeling way above Lawrence, Lovedale and Mayo College, Ajmer on the parameter of sports education. A cursory on-the-ground investigation of sports facilities in these schools would reveal that the latter schools are far superior in terms of sports infrastructure.
Sourav Bhattacharya
Kolkata
Bias danger
I don’t agree with the research methodology used by EducationWorld and C fore to rank India’s most respected schools (EW September). A ranking of schools based entirely on perceptions of randomly selected parents, teachers and educationists, cannot be taken seriously. There’s a real danger of people’s opinions being biased and inaccurate. A thorough and well-researched survey must combine factual information with perceptions. I’m sure that the schools assessed in the survey would have been more than happy to provide factual information on parameters such as individual attention to students, infrastructure provision, etc.
But to give EW credit, I’m happy to see that all schools have been ranked not just on academic reputation but on 12 parameters including sports education and co-curricular education.
Suryanath Tripathi
Delhi
Improved methodology
I am a dedicated reader of your publication and read your cover story ‘India’s most respected schools’ (EW September) with absorbing interest. First off, you deserve thanks for taking pains to radically improve the rating/ranking method-ology as also for separating day, boarding and international schools. Quite frankly, the EW Schools Survey 2007 was a disappointment because — as you admit — a large number of highly respected schools including Mayo, Scindia, Rishi Valley, Woodstock, among others weren’t rated and ranked at all.
Moreover this year you have done well to rank day, boarding and international schools separately. They are indeed, ‘apples and oranges’ as C fore’s Mr. Palety has rightly observed. Perhaps next year you could rank the country’s top boys, girls and co-ed schools separately as well.
Ameena Afzal
Mumbai
Inspirational story
I belatedly chanced upon your cover story ‘India’s fastest growing schools chain’ (EW June). At a time when most schools in our country are either looking to profits and/or popularity, here is a chain of schools whose management says it is so blessed by God that it wants to share its prosperity with others. The Ryan International Group needs to be congratulated for bringing international curriculums to India and taking Indian curriculums to other countries. Against the backdrop of the world transforming into a global village, the Ryan Group stands out as an example of an education conglomerate churning out students for the international market.
English medium schools have been made affordable by visionaries such as Dr. Pinto. I hope the same will be said of other international schools springing up across India. International quality education should not only be for the rich and affluent, but for all.
Asha Arul
Bangalore
Fine panorama
It’s always a great pleasure to read EducationWorld which offers a fine panorama of education experts, managers, teachers, as well as facts on Indian education. You need to be commended for heading a team of high quality professionals.
We fully agree with Philip G. Altbach (EW September) that study of the humanities is important, and that humanities are the central core of all education programmes. Not only in universities, even more so in secondary schools.
We have high respect for your noble and hard work to awaken public consciousness to the vital importance of education. In this endeavour we are your co-workers. Our energies are also focused upon ensuring that every child of India will experience the desire to learn, and will have the opportunity to learn, subjects of her choice.
Vladimir and Marina Petrov
Holistic Teacher Training Program
Ahmedabad
Inclusion plea
I have been reading EducationWorld for the past few years. I find your education news, education briefs and institution profiles very informative. I wish the CISCE-affiliated Cambridge School, which has a good reputation in suburban Mumbai, had been featured in the EducationWorld Schools Survey 2008.
In this school we provide holistic education to students through an innovative curriculum. Every Cambrian is provided the chance to excel at the national and international levels in academics and sports. We are a fraternity of 2,500 students and 80 teachers trained to canalise their energy and resources towards child-centred, qualitative learning.
Archana Singh
Principal, Cambridge School
Kandivili, Mumbai