In recent years in response to relentless criticism from this publication, several state governments have promoted high-quality primary-secondaries which are threatening the dominance of Central government Kendriya Vidyalayas. Here are India’s best government day schools 2021-22.

Sad but true. The country’s 1.20 million government schools are neglected poor relations of private schools. According to State of the Sector Report: Private Schools in India 2020, published jointly by the Central Square Foundation, Delhi and the Omidyar Network India, 48 percent of India’s 260 million school-going children are learning in private schools. Moreover, there is a continuous exodus from public (government) to private schools.

Hardly surprising, because government schools — especially primary-secondaries promoted and managed by state governments — are defined by crumbling buildings, multigrade classrooms, chronic teacher absenteeism, rock-bottom learning outcomes and severe shortages of electricity, water and toilets. Therefore, the SEC (socio-economic category) A sample respondents polled by field personnel of C fore, the highly reputed market research and opinion polls company which conducted the EWISR 2021-22 survey, have minimal awareness of government schools. Perhaps the only government schools that have a respectable public reputation are 1,244 Kendriya Vidyalayas promoted by the Central government for its employees. However, in recent years in response to relentless criticism from this publication, several state governments have promoted high-quality primary-secondaries which are threatening the dominance of KVs.

Nevertheless with very low awareness about government schools in the SEC A category, C fore surveyors constituted a special sample respondents group comprising 1,027 SEC (socio-economic category) ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’ respondents across the country to rate and rank sufficiently well-reputed government schools.

The EWISR 2021-22 league table of government day schools is likely to provoke celebration in the AAP government of Delhi state because its Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya (RPVV), Sector 10, Dwarka, New Delhi has bested Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom (Kerala) and is ranked India’s #1 government day school. With top scores on academic reputation, individual attention to students, parental involvement and co-curricular education RPVV, Dwarka has regained its #1 rank of 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Within the Top 5 are Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT Madras, Chennai elevated to #2 (3) followed by KV, Pattom dislodged from #1 to #3 this year. The Kerala government’s celebrated Government Vocational Higher Secondary School for Girls, Nadakkavu, Kozhikode is ranked #4 (3) followed by KV-IIT Bombay, Powai jointly ranked with the Bombay Municipal Corporation’s Worli Seaface Mumbai Public English School at #5 (4).

“It’s a great honour to be ranked India’s #1 government day school, a position becoming progressively difficult to maintain given the stiff competition from Kendriya Vidyalayas. We are especially satisfied to have been awarded top scores under the parameters of academic reputation and mental and emotional well-being during the pandemic. Continuous improvement is our mantra and we are determined to retain our #1 rank next year. Meanwhile, our class X-XII students are back on campus and we are anxiously awaiting government permission to resume full schooling,” says Ranjana Sharma, a botany postgraduate of Ch. Charan Singh University, Meerut with two decades of teaching and admin experience in KVs across the country, who took charge as head of RPVV, Dwarka in July 2021. Currently the school has 555 students mentored by 50 teachers on its muster rolls.

Although the much acclaimed KV-Pattom (estb.1964) has lost its 2020-21 top rank, principal Ajaya Kumar accepts this year’s sample respondents’ verdict with good grace. “It will help us identify the specific areas of education excellence in which we are lagging. I am confident our teachers will strive hard to regain the #1 position that we enjoyed from 2015-2017 and 2020-21. We are especially pleased that we have been awarded the highest score under the parameter of curriculum and pedagogy (digital readiness) because since March 2020, our teachers have successfully conducted real-time online classes through digital platforms such as Google Meet and Zoom supplemented with digital tools usage like Augmented Reality and Google Earth. Now KV-Pattom is a fully digital school with a virtual and audio library, online karaoke and excellent connectivity. Moreover, we have been busy sanitising our campus to resume on-campus classes from November 1,” says Ajaya Kumar.

Although the number of state government schools in the EW government day schools league tables is increasing, it’s noteworthy that the Central government promoted and well-funded Kendriya Vidyalayas continue to dominate the league table. The nine KVs ranked in the 25-strong league table are good role models for state governments to emulate.

 

Paromita Sengupta

Also read: India’s best co-ed day schools