With reference to your EducationWorld India School Rankings 2013 (EW September), the creation of so many sub-categories within categories has diluted the impact of the annual survey. In my opinion the three categories of day, boarding and international schools of your earlier surveys were far better, and well defined. Whether a school is all-boys, all-girls or co-ed, the basic evaluation parameters such as infrastructure, sports, competence of faculty, quality of leadership etc, are common even though administering co-ed schools is more challenging.

On the face of it, your latest survey appears to be a ‘please all’ exercise devised to boost every school’s rank-ing. This is akin to populist budgets that we all are so used to especially before elections. Within the previous three broad categories, all were apples, oranges and the apples-oranges justifi-cation doesn’t wash. I have heard from some principals who attended the awards ceremony at the Lalit, New Delhi on September 14, that because of so many categories, several awardees didn’t feel they were receiving a special award.

Nevertheless this in no way takes away from EducationWorld’s sincerity and effort in undertaking this elaborate exercise, but I think you should go back to the former straightforward evaluation system. It was simple and fair.
Praveen Vasisht
Headmaster
The Lawrence School, Sanawar

Greater Noida neglect

I regret to point out that in the EducationWorld India School Rankings 2013 survey, Greater Noida (NCR) has been completely neglected. There are about 80 schools in this area, and some of them are well known. We have four Somerville Schools in Delhi NCR. Our school in Noida is ranked #56 all-India and the one in Vasundhara Enclave #125. Somerville School, Greater Noida, was the first in the area, a fact acknowledged by the Greater Noida Authority. Our Somerville International School in Greater Noida started functioning from the current academic year, so it is too soon for it to be ranked. But surely at least one school of Greater Noi-da is worthy of inclu-sion in your league tables?

I’ll be grateful if you let me know the reason why Greater Noida was completely excl-uded in the EW India School Rankings 2013. Your publication is respected and I am sure it’s an inad-vertent mistake.
Thomas T. Roy
Secretary/treasurer
Lott Carey Baptist Mission in India
New Delhi

Misleading classification

Thank you for hosting a highly enjoyable awards evening in Delhi (EW India School Rankings Awards) on September 14 which gave us an opportunity to meet up with heads of schools from across the country.

Daly College has a department for special education with three dedicated full-time teachers. They are very demotivated with the low score you have awarded them on this parameter. How could this have happened? Second, we admit day students from nursery to class I. All students in classes IV-XII are boarders.

Therefore Daly College is essentially a boarding school and should be evaluated in this category. To classify us as a day-cum-boarding school is misleading for parents considering us an option for their children.
Sumer Singh
Principal, Daly College
Indore

Sorry. Next year Daly College will be evaluated as a legacy boarding school — Editor

Mistaken identity

In the September issue of EducationWorld, our school’s name has been inaccurately entered in the EW India School Rankings 2013. The correct name is ‘Sir Padampat Singhania School’, whereas in the league tables we are incorrectly titled ‘Sir Padampat Singhania Education Centre’.

There is another school — Sir Padampat Singhania Education Centre — run by the same management in Kanpur. Kindly ensure this school is not confused with ours. Please make the required correction in your records.
Pankaj Yadav
Principal, Sir Padampat Singhania School, Kota

Previous rankings error

At the outset, our director Kiran Bir Sethi and all of us at Riverside School, Ahmedabad, wish to extend our sincere thanks to the EW team for recognising and honouring good practices in school education by organising the Education-World India School Rankings Awards.

However, I wish to draw your attention to the fact that in the EW India School Rankings 2013 (EW September) league tables, Riverside’s rankings of past years mentioned along-side its 2013 rankings are incorrect. It says ‘NR’ (not ranked) even though we were ranked #1 in Gujarat/Ahmedabad and #8 all-India for the past three years. Moreover, we were ranked the #1 day school in India on the parameters of ‘parental involvement’ and ‘student-teacher ratio’ as well.  
Nilu Siganporia
Riverside School
Ahmedabad

This year Riverside has been classified as an international day school. Last year it was ranked among day schools. Nevertheless it’s our error — Editor

Classification downgrade

I would like to thank you for including St. James’ School in the EducationWorld India School Rankings 2013. It was a pleasure and honour to be ranked among the country’s most respected schools.

However St. James’ School (estb. 1864) is a boys school and therefore should have been included in the all-boys category. Instead, it’s ranked in the co-ed day schools category. On checking the aggregate score of 1,161 awarded by the respondents to the survey, St. James’ should be ranked #5 in the all-India boys day schools league table (instead of #30 among co-ed day schools) and #2 in West Bengal and Kolkata. Please make the necessary correction in your records.

For your information St. James’ has been ranked the best school in Kolkata for six years by the Telegraph School Awards Foundation, for which we received the Best School Award from prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2004, and again from Mrs. Sonia Gandhi in 2005. We have also been placed in the Telegraph School Hall of Fame by N.R. Narayan Murthy.
T.H. Ireland
Principal, St. James’ School
Kolkata

Co-education advantages

Re EW India School Rankings 2013, I would like EducationWorld to highlight the benefits of co-education. Schools segregated on the basis of sex are a sign of backwardness, and the sooner such segregation is done away with, the better for the country.

Co-education is good for the development of both boys and girls enabling them to interact with each other in a healthy manner, and facilitates social adjustment. In sexually segregated schools and colleges, boys and girls live in insulated environments where they nurture false notions and fantasies about the opposite sex. The wave of molestation and sexual harassment of women sweeping across India, is to a significant extent the outcome of segregated school education.

In a paper entitled A Psychological Perspective on Adolescence: A Rationale for Co-education, Komila Thapa, psychology lecturer at Allahabad University, writes: “It would be tenable to argue that the co-educational system, as opposed to same sex schools, provides opportunity for adolescents to interact with same-gender as well as opposite gender peer groups. This prepares the ground for a healthier, more open interaction between the sexes and promotes healthy attitudes towards issues of sexuality.” 
Kush Kalra on e-mail

Words of appreciation

I read the EducationWorld India School Rankings 2013 on your portal last weekend. Fantastic work by your team and a truly valuable input for many parents like me wanting information about the best schools of India. My congratulations to the entire team behind this effort.
VRN Rao on e-mail

Backward step

Re your editorial ‘Concede demand for smaller states’ (EW September). After failing on all fronts, Congress party president Sonia Gandhi is now playing vote bank politics of divide and rule by acceding to the demand for the new state of Telangana. This is a backward step.

In circumstances where economic development is the prime consideration, a new state is acceptable, but not for political or electoral advantage. Before independence, India comprised over 500 small states or principalities.With much effort, Sardar Patel united India. Generally speaking the greater the number of states, the greater the number of problems stalling India’s progress.  
Mahesh Kapasi
Delhi