For the purposes of this survey, day schools were defined as K-12 institutions in which a majority of students are day scholars. Therefore primary-secondaries such as Bishop Cotton Boys and Girls, Bangalore, DPS (R.K.Puram), Delhi and Loreto Convent, Darjeeling which also host a small minority of boarders, are classified as day schools. Moreover it’s pertinent to bear in mind that day schools tend to have parochial, rather than national reputations. Therefore the regional/ zonal rankings of day schools are arguably of greater import than their positions on the national league table.
Perhaps the only constant in this year’s day schools league tables compared to last year’s is that The Shri Ram School (TSRS), Delhi has retained its premier position as India’s top-ranked day school in the all-India and north zone rankings, with an aggregate ratings score of 1,072 out of a maximum of 1,300, topping on the critical para-meters of faculty competence, individual attention to students and parental involvement. But that’s about the only constant from last year’s ranking. Down the ladder there’s been a major churn, with Mumbai’s prestigious (estb.1860) Cathedral & John Connon ranked seventh all-India and second in the western region last year, having moved up five places to be ranked second all-India and No. 1 in the west.
“I am delighted, pleased and somewhat overwhelmed to learn that TSRS has maintained its ranking as India’s most respected school in the 2009 survey. We were all very nervous about whether we would retain our top rank this year, because maintaining the position is in some ways more difficult than attaining it,” said Komal Sood principal of the TSRS senior school (classes VI-XII) when your correspo-ndent rang her with the news. “I believe the credit for this achievement should in large measure be given to our major stakeholders — teachers and parents. Therefore it gives me special pleasure to learn that on the parameters of faculty competence and parental involvement, TSRS has been ranked first among day schools countrywide,” she added.
Among other day schools which have significantly improved their national ranking are — DAV Boys, Chennai (from 8 to 4 and dislodging Bishop Cotton Boys as the top-ranked day school in south India); Sanskriti, Delhi (from 10 to 5); Campion, Mumbai (12 to 8); DPS (R.K. Puram), Delhi (12 to 9); Springdales School (Dhaula Kuan), Delhi (13 to 10); Modern School, Delhi (28 to 14); Amity International, Noida (30 to 15); Arya Mandir, Mumbai (27 to 16); SBOA, Chennai (32 to 20); DPS (Mathura Road), Delhi (47 to 24); KFI, Chennai (55 to 25); Inventure Academy, Bangalore (49 to 33); Oasis International, Bangalore (58 to 34); Jubilee Hills Public, Hyderabad (72 to 41); M.P. Birla Higher Secondary, Kolkata (72 to 43); Navarachna, Vadodara (77 to 55) and G.D. Somani, Mumbai (79 to 58).
Moreover several schools which were too low-profile to be ranked nationally last year have notched up respectable ratings in 2009. Among them: Step by Step, Noida (ranked 21); Bishop’s, Pune (35), St. Mary’s, Mumbai (38); Loreto, Shillong (38); St. Paul’s, Agartala (40); St. Vincent’s Pune (48); Rachna High, Ahmedabad (50); DPS, Vadodara (54) and Ahmedabad (57); Loreto Convent, Lucknow (69); DPS, Gurgaon (89); St. Michael, Patna (91) and Lovely Public Sr, Delhi (100). The national league table has rated and ranked 150 day schools this year.
Northern region. With the top five Delhi-based day schools — Shri Ram, Sanskriti, and DPS (R.K.Puram), Mother’s International, Springdales School (Dhaula Kuan) and Sardar Patel Vidyalaya — retaining their last year’s positions in the regional league table, displacements have begun lower down the table with Step by Step, Noida (9), unranked last year numbered among the Top 10; DPS (Mathura Road), Delhi moving up from 16 to 11; Loreto Convent, Lucknow (20) unranked last year, and St. Stephens, Chandigarh (40 to 22) making it into the regional Top 25.
Among the schools in the northern region which significantly lost rank in the EW-C fore Survey of Schools 2009 and need to spruce up their image and/or get their act together are Air Force Bal Bharati, Delhi (10 to 14); Modern School (Vasant Vihar), Delhi (11 to 15); Ryan International (Vasant Kunj), Delhi (14 to 23); La Martiniere, Lucknow (18 to 25); Lotus Valley International (17 to 26), and St. John’s High, Chandigarh (15 to 37).
On the other hand several hitherto unsung and unranked schools whose managements are doing things right have powered their way into the table of 47 day schools rated and ranked in the northern region this year. Among them Step by Step, Noida (9) which has vaulted into the Top 10; Apeejay, Noida (30); DPS, Gurgaon (34); Venkateshwara International, Delhi (36), DPS, Faridabad (38); Army Public, Dhaula Kuan (39), among others (see p.44).
Western region. In this year’s EW-C fore Survey of Schools, Cathedral & John Connon has displaced Bombay Scottish at the top of the Western Regi-on league table. But even so, the top table is dominated by the same names — Campion (3) and St. Xavier’s (4).
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However, Mumbai’s Arya Vidya Mandir has moved up three places (8 to 5), exchanging ranking with Ryan International, Goregaon (5 to 7 this year). The top table is completed by J.B. Petit Girls, Mumbai (14 to 8) and St. Mary’s, Pune, unranked last year, both of which have stormed into the Top 10. Among other schools ranked last year which have moved up impressively are Our Lady of Perpetual Succour (Chembur), Mumbai (26 to 16); Navarachna School, Vadodara (30 to 23), and G.D. Somani, Mumbai (32 to 26).
Despite the Ryan International School, Goregaon having yielded some ground in the western region league table, Mme. Grace Pinto, the much- celebrated promoter-managing director of the Ryan International Group of Institutions (RIGI) — the country’s largest privately-promoted chain of K-12 schools (120 with over 220,000 enroled students) — derives conside-rable comfort from the EW-C fore Survey of Schools 2009. “We are pleased to note that Ryan International, Goregaon has entered the ranks of India’s Top 20 day schools this year. Moreover, RIGI is the only multi-institution group with at least one of our schools ranked among the Top 10 in almost all parameters of academic excellence. This indicates that we invest equal effort and resources in the develop-ment of all our schools,” says Pinto.
Among the schools in the west which have slipped in this year’s rankings are Bombay International (10 to 14); Maneckji Cooper, Mumbai (10 to 15); Symbiosis, Pune (24 to 30) and St. Kabir’s, Ahmedabad (13 to 33), with the latter academics-focused school having lost rank to several new schools (Rachna, DPS) in Ahmedabad which have stolen its thunder.
Yet perhaps the most significant outcome in the Western Region ratings and rankings is the large number of hitherto unranked schools which have zoomed into the regional league table, which ranks 36 institutions. They include St. Mary’s Pune which has crashed into the regional Top 10; St. Mary’s High, Mumbai (11); Villa Theresa High, Mumbai (12); St. Joseph’s, Pune (13); St. Vincent’s, Pune (17); Rachna High, Ahmedabad (18); St. Anne’s Pune (19) and St. Anthony’s High, Mumbai (20). Other hitherto unranked schools which have made it into the Western Region league table are DPS, Vadodara (22); Loyola High, Pune (24); DPS, Ahmedabad (25); St. Anne’s, Mumbai (27); All Saints High (31) and St. Helena’s (32) both in Pune.
Quite obviously the managements of these institutions have favourably impacted the respondents in the relatively highly industrialised Western Region, pushing a large number of schools, of which not even 20 of the 437 respondents in the region had suffi-cient awareness, off the table. Among the notable schools pushed out of the regional league table: Eklavya, Ahmedabad; Vidya Niketan, Pilani; Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Vadodara; Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT-Bombay; SGVP International, Ahmedabad; and Vishwa-shanti Gurukul World School, Pune.
Southern region. The most notable feature of the southern day schools league table is the rise of DAV Boys Senior ranked fourth last year, to the very top with the region’s best scores under the parameters of academic reputation, faculty competence and value for money. This apart, the other top five positions are retained by Bishop Cotton Boys, Bangalore (2); Gitanjali School, Hyderabad (3) ranked high under the parameter of individual attention to students; St. Joseph’s Boys High, Bangalore (4) and Bishop Cotton Girls, Bangalore (5).
Among the major rank gainers in 2009 are SBOA (State Bank Officers Association) School, Chennai (from 15 to 7); and the KFI (Krishnamurti Foundation India) School, Chennai (24 to 9); Inventure Academy, Bangalore (23 to 16); Oasis International (26 to 17); Jubilee Hills Public, Hyderabad (33 to 20); CHIREC Public, Hyderabad (36 to 22); The Ashram, Chennai (38 to 26), and The Valley School, Bangalore (40 to 28).
“The students and staff of the school are very excited that DAV Senior Secondary has dramatically improved its all-India ranking and especially about our being ranked the most respected day school in South India in the latest EW survey of schools. I attribute this achievement and particularly our being ranked second all-India on the parameter of academic reputation to four factors — a dynamic management team; excellent teamwork within our teachers community, hardworking students and cooperative parents. Our students are committed to improve upon the previous year’s board exam results and our teachers ensure that students give their best,” says Dr. C. Satish principal of DAV Senior Secondary, Chennai, adding that 27 of the school’s class XII school-leaving students excelled in the JEE of the IITs, and were admitted into these excellent institutions this year.
Among the schools in the south which yielded rank in the 2009 regional day schools’ league table are Little Flower, Hyderabad (7 to 12); National Public School (Indirangar), Bangalore (8 to 15); Baldwin Girls, Bangalore (11 to 22); P.S. Senior Secondary, Chennai (21 to 23); Air Force School (Hebbal), Bangalore (25 to 29); St. Germain High, Bangalore (28 to 31); Sacred Heart Girls, Bangalore (27 to 32); Vidyashilp Academy, Bangalore (30 to 33); Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT-M, Chennai (30 to 34); Sishya School (Adyar), Chennai (30 to 35) and Sophia High, Bangalore (35 to 37).
As in the other regional rankings, this year’s Southern Region day schools league table was gate-crashed by several schools which weren’t ranked last year. Among them: four Chennai schools — Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, (43), Good Shepherd High, Nungam-bakkam (44), Sacred Heart Matriculation (45), and Holy Angels Matriculation (46). And last but not least, squeaking into the Top 47 day schools ranked this year is the Rosary Convent, Hyderabad. Over 20 schools in the Southern Region ranked last year have dropped below the radar of public perception with not even 20 of the 563 knowledgeable respondents sufficiently aware of them to be ready and willing to rate them. Among them: Alpha Matriculation Higher, Chennai (ranked 39 in the regional table last year); National Academy for Learning, Bang-alore (54); Greenwood High, Bangalore (57); Sainik School, Coimbatore (52); Bethany High (59); St. Augstine, Chennai (58); and Clarence (62), Cathedral (61), Presidency (64), New Horizon (63) and St. Francis Xavier Girls (65), all well-known schools of Banga-lore at one time. Quite obviously they have fallen out of favour in 2009, or hid their lamps under the proverbial bushel.
Eastern region. No surprises at the apex level of the Eastern Region day schools league table this year with the La Martiniere boys and girls twin schools well-set at the top, followed by St. Xaviers which continues to be rated highest in the east on the parameter of sports education. However Loreto Convent, Darjeeling has been dislodged from last year’s fourth position by Loreto House (Middleton), Kolkata.
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Moreover, the 2009 Eastern Region table is notable for several hitherto unranked schools entering the Top 20. Among them: Loreto, Shillong (7); St. Paul’s, Agartala (8); Kolkata Interna-tional, Kolkata (11); Don Bosco (Bandel), Kolkata (15); Assembly of God Church School, Kolkata (18), and Auxilium Convent (Bandel), Kolkata (20). Other schools unranked last year which have secured good ratings in the 2009 Eastern Region day school league tables are DPS Newtown, Kolkata (21); St. Michael, Patna (22 which ipso facto makes it Bihar’s top-ranked day school) and Welland Goldsmith, Kolkata (23).
Another conspicuous feature of this year’s Eastern Region day schools league table is the sharp slide in the ranking of several schools highly regarded for their academic focus. Among them: St. James (5 to 13); South Point (7 to 14); Ashok Hall Girls Higher (10 to 20) and Calcutta Girls (13 to 24) — all in Kolkata. This phenomenon supports the analysis of Premchand Palety, chief executive of the Delhi-based market research firm C fore which conducted this (and last year’s) survey, that the SECA parents’ community — if not other less secure parents groups — and contemporary educators, are becoming increasingly aware that children’s education experience should go beyond academic focus and examination outcomes. Therefore the Eastern Region apart, right across the country, schools perceived to be bastions of pure academics have been pushed down the all-India and regional league tables. It’s time for them to introspect and restore a proper balance into the education experience they give their students!
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