Over the past almost 20 years since the globally unprecedented annual EducationWorld India School Rankings (EWISR) were presented to parents in search of the most suitable primary-secondary school for their children, EWISR has evolved into the world’s largest and most comprehensive schools rating and ranking survey — too large to be contained within one print and online volume.

That’s because schools evaluated in EWISR are not ranked merely on academic outcomes as is the norm worldwide. Academic reputation apart, they are assessed under 12-15 parameters of primary-secondary education excellence such as teacher welfare and development, teacher competence, co-curricular and sports education, infrastructure, leadership, individual attention to students among others. Also, schools are not only ranked nationally, but in their host states and cities as well.

All this mountain of information can’t fit into one printed or online publication. Therefore EWISR is published in two separate editions — September and October — followed by the annual EWISR Awards staged in Delhi where the best schools (including government schools) in all sub-categories (which register) are felicitated, celebrated and awarded for their valuable public service. Yet there’s no dearth of cynics and arm-chair critics who scoff at this elaborate annual exercise. But although ivory tower academics and omnipotent corporate leaders are reluctant to grace and /or support this annual extravaganza, the annual EWISR generates tremendous enthusiasm within primary-secondary school managements.

School leaders whom we interview for reactions are invariably delighted and enthused to hear that 15,000-18,000 carefully selected sample respondents — educationists, teachers, parents and counsellors — have given them a vote of confidence. Because the plain truth is before EducationWorld began publication on the eve of the new millennium, the media didn’t care a jot for school leaders, teachers, education innovators and high-performance schools, colleges and universities that shape future generations. Theirs was to do and die, unsung.

Clearly, this was untenable. Hence the ideation and conceptualization of the annual EWISR and EWISR Awards. This year the Awards will be presented on October 22-24 in Aerocity, Delhi. All Top 20 ranked schools in various categories and sub-categories are invited provided they register (see www.educationworld.in). Moreover high dignitaries from President Murmu, Prime Minister Modi and Union Education Minister Prahlad Joshi have been invited with honeyed words, to felicitate leaders of India’s most admired primary-secondary schools. But the auguries are not good. Awareness that high quality K-12 education is the foundation building block of national development has not yet permeated the establishment. That’s why in the international development race, 21st century India is a laggard, also-ran nation.