Conceptualised as the island republic’s first autonomous university funded by government, SMU has quickly acquired an international reputation for dispensing rigorous business management, economics and finance education. Reshma Ravishanker Promoted in the new millennium, the publicly-funded Singapore Management University (SMU, estb.2000) has quickly acquired an international reputation for dispensing rigorous business management, economics and finance education. In the latest QS Global MBA Rankings 2024, it is ranked #43 worldwide and #6 in Asia. SMU’s eight schools — accountancy; economics; social sciences; Lee Kong Chian School of Business; computing and information systems; Yong Pung How School of Law; College of Integrative Studies and College of Graduate Research Studies — offer a wide range of undergrad, postgraduate and Ph D programmes to 12,000 students mentored by 407 faculty. SMU spokespersons claim that its core curriculum develops “students’ broad knowledge of the world, interdisciplinary and contextual perspectives, understanding of self and society, and capability in key 21st-century skills”. Conceptualised as the island republic’s first autonomous university funded by the government, SMU is modeled on the top-ranked Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, USA. Indeed, it began its innings with a five-year collaboration agreement with the Wharton School. In 2004, SMU received a gift of S$50 million from the Lee Foundation following which the government resolved to pay in $3 for every dollar donated, resulting in $150 million being added to SMU’s endowment fund. Since it was promoted in the new millennium year, SMU has produced several distinguished alumni including Devanshi Kanoi Chitlangia, founder, Worldviral Education; Ben Toh Zhi Sian, group head of Bancassurance; Bonnie Wong Shi Yun, chief operating officer, Creative Eateries; Derrick Lee, co-founder, Accredify, and Timothy Tio, vice president, Mizuho Bank. Singapore. Once a British colony and untidy port, over the past six decades Singapore has evolved into an independent island nation, globally renowned for its spick ’n span environment, transformation into Southeast Asia’s business and financial entrepot and most prosperous, modern and well-administered country notable for civic discipline and high per capita income (US $49,000). It boasts an excellent public transport system and public parks, museums, restaurants, nightclubs and tourist destinations including the verdant Botanic Gardens — a Unesco World Heritage site. Singapore’s climate is tropical — warm and wet most of the year. December is the coolest month and May the warmest, with average temperatures ranging between 22-33oCelsius. English is the language of administration, business and technology. Other languages spoken are Malay, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil. Campus facilities. SMU’s campus in Bras Basah, Singapore’s central business district sprawls across 11 acres and comprises seven state-of-the-art buildings fronted by trees and lawns. Facilities include the Li Ka Shing, Kwa Geok Choo Law libraries, seminar rooms, 260-seat Mochtar Riady Auditorium, campus centre, a multi-purpose hall, cafes, bookshop, medical clinic and a convenience store. Moreover, students have access to a swimming pool, gym, sports hall, du Suantio Gallery and Arts & Cultural Centre, and over 150 student clubs. Admission. Admission into SMU’s undergrad programmes is competitive and merit-based. The minimum requirements…
Currently celebrating its 12th anniversary, this nursery-class XII school is ranked among the Top 20 co-ed day schools in Punjab and #1 in Jalandhar in the latest EducationWorld India School Rankings 2023-24 Paromita Sengupta Sited on an eco-friendly four-acre campus off the Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur highway, the new-age Ivy World School, Jalandhar (IWS, estb.2012) has quickly acquired an excellent reputation for providing high-quality ICT (information communication technology)-driven academic and co-curricular education to its 1,749 students mentored by 96 teachers. Currently celebrating its 12th anniversary, this nursery-class XII school is ranked among the Top 20 co-ed day schools in Punjab and #1 in Jalandhar in the latest EducationWorld India School Rankings 2023-24. A constituent institution of Vasal Education Foundation (estb.2005), this CBSE-affiliated school was promoted by well-known businessman-philanthropist Sanjeev Kumar Vasal with the objective of nurturing students into “global citizens with knowledge, skills and values in an ever-changing world”. Vasal Education runs and manages six K-12 schools and preschools in Punjab (pop.16.3 million). “Our objective is to provide every child an opportunity to become a self-driven learner under the mentorship of well-trained teachers and the integrated support of digital media. We enable global exposure through diverse learning resources to develop our students into well-rounded, responsible citizens prepared for success in their professional and personal lives,” says Vasal. To fulfill this objective, the school’s management has invested liberally in state-of-the-art academic and sports infrastructure. IWS’ green campus houses air-conditioned academic and admin blocks with an aggregate built-up area of 16,187 sq. m. The academic block houses 55 spacious smart classrooms, seven modern science and computer laboratories, hi-tech multimedia, music and art rooms, a 760-seat auditorium, a dining hall and separate junior and senior libraries with an aggregate 10,000 volumes. “Ivy World School was conceptualised to meet the needs of young 21st century learners. Therefore, our curriculum is specially designed to challenge and engage students and develop their multiple intelligences, with teachers trained in contemporary, learner-centric pedagogies through in-house programs and workshops. Additionally, we are a fully new digital technologies equipped school with AI and AR incorporated to enhance teaching-learning experiences and achieve best outcomes for all students,” says Sanjeev Chauhan, Director-Principal of IWS. An alum of Punjab University, Chauhan has brought over three decades of teaching and admin experience at the top-ranked Lawrence School, Sanawar into her new assignment. Inevitably, sports education is accorded high importance at IWS. The school’s impressive sports infrastructure includes dedicated grounds for football and cricket, synthetic lawn tennis, badminton, basketball, table tennis and squash courts, an indoor shooting range, a roller-skating rink and an all-weather 25 metre swimming pool. Unsurprisingly, IWS students have excelled in state and national-level cricket, badminton and other sports tournaments. Co-curricular education — dance, music (offered in collaboration with the Gurugram-based Torrins Academy), theatre, carpentry, sculpture, art and craft and painting — is also an integral component of the curriculum. Moreover, environment and sustainability education is given top billing with students encouraged to nurture flora and fauna and tend to the school’s on-campus vegetable garden.…
Renowned nationwide for ideating and establishing high-quality townships, office complexes and residential buildings, House of Hiranandani has invested its considerable expertise in constructing the school’s scenic campus overlooking Muttukadu Lake Shivani Chaturvedi The Hiranandani Upscale School (HUS, estb.2011) is sited on a three-acre campus in the House of Hiranandani’s integrated township in the southern metropolis of Chennai (pop.12 million). This K-12 co-ed day school offering the PYP (primary years programme), MYP (middle years programme) and IBDP (diploma) programmes of IB, Geneva, was promoted by Mr. Surendra Hiranandani, Chairman and Managing Director of House of Hiranandani which has interests in real estate countrywide. Over the past 13 years since it was established, HUS has steadily acquired a good reputation for providing student-centric, holistic primary-secondary education to its 402 students mentored by 88 well-qualified teachers. Ranked among Chennai’s Top 15 co-ed day schools in the EducationWorld India School Rankings 2023-24, HUS was conferred the SDG Hero award in 2023 and the ARC EdTech award for incorporating UN Sustainable Development Goals into its curriculum. “In HUS, we provide our students with an inclusive learning environment after identifying their needs to enable them to reach their potential under our renowned IB continuum programmes. Our goal is to nurture well-rounded, ethical, empathetic, culturally aware, physically fit and academically bright global citizens ready to confront the challenges of the future,” says Sivakumar Srinivasan, director of HUS. An alum of Madras and Bharathidasan universities with leadership certification from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Srinivasan imported over two decades of teaching and admin experience in top-ranked international schools (The International School, Bangalore, Indus International School, Pune) when he was appointed director of HUS in 2022. Renowned nationwide for ideating and establishing high quality townships, office complexes and residential buildings in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai, House of Hiranandani has invested its considerable expertise in construction, landscaping and equipping HUS’ three-acre scenic campus overlooking Muttukadu Lake. The school’s academic building houses 55 spacious and well-ventilated Smart classrooms equipped with LCD projectors. Students have access to two state-of-the-art ICT (information communication technologies) laboratories supplemented with discrete physics, chemistry and biology labs. Moreover the school has two separate libraries for primary and middle years students with an aggregate 10,000 print volumes and 40 journal subscriptions, and access to a wide range of e-learning resources. A Special Education Needs (SEN) department staffed with special educators provides personalised support to students with learning disabilities. Equally impressive is the school’s sports infrastructure which includes a large cricket ground, dedicated football field, and synthetic courts for basketball and volleyball. The spirit of competitive sportsmanship is encouraged with children motivated to compete in inter and intra-school competitions. The HUS management prides itself for having readily adopted and integrated latest technology advances into its teaching-learning and management operations. “Integration of advanced technologies into institutional operations enriches children’s educational experiences at HUS. Remedial education, psychological counseling and medical care are accorded high importance to ensure the mental and emotional well-being of students. We are also very aware that…
This vintage university’s alumni include five Nobel Laureates, over 100 Rhodes Scholars, Australia’s first woman prime minister and first woman Supreme Court judge Reshma Ravishanker Founded in 1874, the University of Adelaide (UoA) is the sixth continent’s third oldest university. Currently celebrating its 150th anniversary, the publicly-funded UoA is ranked among the world’s top one percent by highly-reputed international ranking agencies — #89 in the QS World Rankings 2024, #74 in US News & World Report’s Best Global Universities Rankings 2023, and #111 in the THE World University Rankings 2024. Moreover, the varsity’s research outcomes are rated “above or well above world standard” by the Australian Research Council’s Excellence in Research Australia Program. In 2023, Adelaide U reported an impressive $231.8 million (Rs.1,937 crore) research income. Sprawled across three campuses in Adelaide (and one in Melbourne), the university offers 148 undergraduate and 87 postgraduate programmes to 22,700 students including 6,800 international students from 100 countries worldwide. It’s pertinent to note that UoA’s second largest cohort (after China) of foreign students is from India. This vintage Oz varsity has schooled a string of illustrious alumni including five Nobel Laureates, over 100 Rhodes Scholars, Australia’s first woman prime minister Julia Gillard, Supreme Court judge Roma Mitchell, poet and classicist, Adenan Satem, and astronaut Andy Thomas, among others. Adelaide. The cosmopolitan capital of South Australia, Adelaide (pop.1.4 million) is a superbly well-planned city of wide streets and boulevards, neat public squares, parklands and a mixture of historic and modern buildings. The economic, cultural, political and social epicentre of the state, this coastal city is ranked #12 worldwide in The Economist’s Global Liveability Index 2022, and offers excellent social and recreational opportunities including cinemas and theatres, museums, art galleries, music, shopping, sailing and windsurfing on its 60-km long coastline, hiking excursions and exploration of wineries on peripheries of the city. Public transport infrastructure within the city is excellent, convenient and inexpensive and the climate is Mediterranean with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Average temperature varies between 25oC-35oC in summer and 10oC-15oC in winter. Campus facilities. UoA hosts four campuses — North Terrace, Roseworthy, Waite and Melbourne. The main North Terrace campus is sited in the heart of Adelaide, within walking distance of the Art Gallery of South Australia and State Library of South Australia, and offers a mix of historical and contemporary architecture combining old sandstone buildings with state-of-the-art teaching, learning and research facilities. This campus is the hub of undergrad studies and research centres. The Waite campus is sited within a seven kilometre radius from North Terrace and hosts the university’s Urrbrae House Historic Precinct, Waite Arboretum, Waite Conservation Reserve and Waite Research Institute. This campus is Oz’s pre-eminent plant and agricultural science research hub providing high quality research facilities for farming systems, viticulture and oenology, food science and nutrition. The Roseworthy campus, sited 50 km from Adelaide, hosts South Australia’s sole veterinary school and also focuses on research in drylands agriculture. Further afield in the state of Victoria, the Melbourne…
Shivani Chaturvedi In the bustling city of Chennai, nestled within the vibrant community of the House of Hiranandani’s integrated township at Old Mahabalipuram Road, popularly known as OMR, lies a beacon of educational excellence – Hiranandani Upscale School (HUS). Established in the year 2011 by the visionary Surendra Hiranandani, HUS stands tall as a distinguished educational institution, proudly offering the globally renowned International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum program. The school’s objective is to provide a superior educational experience that nurtures young minds to flourish academically and personally within a supportive environment. Leading the institution with a wealth of experience is Sivakumar Srinivasan, the Director of HUS. With nearly two decades in the education sector, Srinivasan’s journey began as a physics teacher in 1998. Over the years, he has held various leadership roles, earning accolades such as the American Classroom Teaching Excellence Award in 2008 and the esteemed Best Principal Award in 2022. Spread across a sprawling 3-acre campus, HUS boasts 55 spacious classrooms equipped with LCD projectors, creating an ideal environment for immersive learning experiences. The campus also features specialised facilities including laboratories, libraries, outdoor gaming areas, and multimedia rooms to cater to diverse educational needs. In line with its commitment to inclusivity, HUS recently inaugurated a Special Education Needs (SEN) department, staffed with qualified experts to provide personalized support to students with diverse learning requirements. This dedicated space underscores the school’s dedication to creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment. Beyond academics, HUS prioritises holistic development through a rich tapestry of extracurricular activities. From sports like football, karate, and gymnastics to arts and design programs, students are encouraged to explore their passions and talents. A distinguishing feature of HUS is its adoption of the globally renowned International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum program. With IB-trained teachers experienced in international school curricula, HUS ensures a world-class education that prepares students for success on an international level. The school’s commitment to excellence is evident in its numerous achievements, including receiving the prestigious SDG Hero award for incorporating UN Sustainable Development Goals into its curriculum. Moreover, HUS students consistently excel in academics, sports, and co-curricular activities, showcasing the school’s dedication to nurturing well-rounded individuals. The integration of technology into teaching and learning further enhances the educational experience, with platforms like ManageBac and Kognity providing interactive and engaging tools for student enrichment. In terms of support services, HUS offers ESL programs, remedial education, and comprehensive student well-being services including counseling and medical care. Additionally, the school places a strong emphasis on professional development for teachers, ensuring they stay abreast of the latest teaching methodologies and technologies. Sivakumar Srinivasan, the Director of HUS says, “Our school excels in teaching and assessment across all three IB programs: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), and the Diploma Programme (DP). In each program, the school prioritise comprehensive evaluation methods that foster continuous improvement and independent learning. a) DP (Diploma Programme): Coordinated Curriculum Delivery: The DP Coordinator and Associate Coordinator oversee curriculum delivery, ensuring timely student work…
Paromita Sengupta MSDGS is a unique sports focused holistic education partnership between experienced educators and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s iconic and most successful cricket captain in all formats of this sophisticated game Sited on a 16-acre verdant campus in the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border town of Hosur, an industrial hub which hosts the manufacturing facilities of blue-chip companies including Hindustan Motors, Tata Electronics, Kansai Nerolac among others, and a 20-minute drive from Bengaluru’s Electronics City, the new age M.S. Dhoni Global School (MSDGS-H, estb.2022) is a unique sports focused holistic education partnership between experienced educators and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s iconic and most successful former cricket captain in all formats — test, ODIs and T20s — of this game described by historian Ramachandra Guha as “the world’s most sophisticated game”. Currently, the K-12 MSDGS-H, affiliated with the Delhi-based CBSE examination board, has 2,348 children mentored by 152 highly qualified teachers on its muster rolls. Promoted under the aegis of the Hosur-based Shree Sharada Educational Trust (estb.2009) registered by Chairman R. Chandrasekhar, for 12 years the school had a collaboration agreement with Mumbai-based Zee Learn Ltd. In 2022, the Sharada Trust management concluded the collaboration with Zee Learn and signed up a strategic alliance partnership with M.S. Dhoni. The trust also owns and manages another affiliated K-12 school in HSR extension, Bengaluru (Bangalore) which has an enrolment of 785 children mentored by 62 teachers. “At MSDGS-H, we firmly believe that holistic education — with focus on sports and physical fitness, appreciating nature and developing curious minds — is essential for children’s optimal development. Apart from our attention to sports education, we are a Microsoft showcase school wholly committed to providing contemporary digitally-enabled education for the nurturance of global leaders equipped to manage challenges of the future. With a teacher-pupil ratio of 1:15, we pride ourselves on bestowing individual attention upon all students,” says Chandrasekhar, an engineering graduate of Madras University, a nationally awarded decathloner, and chairman of MSDGS-H. Promoted as a “futuristic educational institute”, MSDGS-H’s “seven foundational pillars” are maths, sports, interpersonal/intra-personal intelligences, science, technology, social pedagogy and arts. In January, the school inaugurated a Hybrid Learning Node classroom which connects it with its Bangalore affiliate and schools countrywide to enable collaborative learning. In 2022, the school was conferred the Grand Jury Award of EducationWorld for ‘Best school using STEM technology’. “The school’s USP is our 360-degree curriculum which optimally integrates academics, sports, co-curricular activities and life skills education. It includes 120 minutes of physical activity daily, specially designed to keep children fit. We also accord high importance to the welfare and professional development of our teachers. All of them are certified Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts. All this adds up to our institutional objective which is to develop future-ready leaders in academics, sports, sciences and technology,” says Bhuvaneswari C, chairperson of the Sharada Trust and senior principal of MSDGS-H, a physics and business management alumna of PSG College, Coimbatore with 14 years of teaching and admin experience. The school’s impressive academic infrastructure…
A public research university, Hull is ranked among the world’s Top 200 universities in the latest Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. Moreover, Hull is ‘Gold’ rated under the Teaching Excellence Framework 2023 The 14th oldest British varsity, University of Hull (estb.1927) enjoys an excellent reputation for academic rigour and impactful research outcomes. A public research university, it’s ranked among the world’s Top 200 in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings that assess higher education institutions against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) objectives. Moreover, Hull is ‘Gold’ rated under the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 of the UK government. Sited on a scenic campus in Kingston-upon-Hull, the university’s 23 academic departments and schools offer a wide range of undergraduate and postgrad study programmes to over 15,000 students including 3,750 from 97 countries. They are mentored by 1,000 faculty. Illustrious alumni include Samir Shah, chairman of BBC; online shopping pioneer and entrepreneur Michael Aldrich; Assem Allam, owner of the Hull City football club, and playwright James Graham. The famous English poet Philip Larkin was Head Librarian at Hull for 30 years and Dame Sarah Gilbert — who co-developed the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid vaccine — and Prof. Guido Imbens, a Nobel Prize winner for Economics, began their academic careers at the university. Founded in 1927 as University College, Hull, its foundation stone was laid the following year by the Duke of York (later King George VI). The initial cohort comprised 39 students and 14 ‘one-person’ departments. The college received a Royal Charter granting it university status in 1954. Hull. Situated some 200 miles to the north-east of London, Kingston-upon-Hull aka Hull is Britain’s premier east coast port. Water is essential to the identity and history of this port town, and its lasting association with the sea is reflected in the buildings and museums which commemorate the city’s traditions. Historically as a maritime city, Hull was well-known only to those engaged with sea trade. Today in the 21st century, it not only remains a major port, but is also a thriving commercial centre. London and Edinburgh are only three hours by train, while the great football cities of Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool are no more than an hour or two distant. Refreshingly, Hull has managed to maintain the culture of a country town while offering all the facilities and amenities of UK’s largest cities. Its citizens boast of its pedestrian precincts, cafes, restaurants, pubs, theatres, concert halls, clubs, galleries, museums and cinemas. Campus facilities. The university is spread across a picturesque campus in the port-city of Hull with students blessed with easy access to a scenic coastline and some of the most beautiful open spaces of Britain. The benefits of a scenic environment apart, Hull students enjoy the advantages of a modern, IT-enabled state-of-the-art campus. According to a university spokesperson, £300 million (Rs.3,160 crore) has been invested recently to boost and upgrade campus infrastructure and facilities. Academic support is provided by the main library — the quintessential hallmark of great universities…
DPS, Jaipur (estb. 2003) has built an excellent reputation for providing high-quality holistic day-cum-boarding school education to its 1,780 students Paromita Sengupta Sited on an eco-friendly 15-acre campus off the Jaipur-Ajmer national highway, Delhi Public School, Jaipur (DPSJ, estb.2003) has built an excellent reputation for providing high-quality holistic day-cum-boarding school education with special emphasis on community service to its 1,780 students — including 644 girl children and 124 boarders — mentored by 128 teachers. Currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, this pre-nursery-class XII school is ranked among the Top 30 co-ed day-cum-boarding schools nationally and #4 in Rajasthan in the latest EducationWorld India School Rankings 2022-23. A franchisee of the Delhi Public School Society (estb.1949) that runs 206 owned and franchised schools in India and abroad, this CBSE (Delhi)-affiliated school was promoted by well-known industrialist-philanthropist Ravi Jaipuria and wife Dhara with the objective of stimulating “creativity in thought; thought in action; action with purpose and purpose in life,” and mission to evolve into a “school with a difference”. Early this year, an independent world-class tennis academy was established within DPSJ by Devyani Jaipuria, Pro-Vice Chairperson of the school. “Our goal is to nurture children in a safe and secure learning environment that welcomes technology, innovation, diversity and encourages discipline, intellectual inquiry and collaboration. Therefore, the DPSJ curriculum integrates rigorous academics with sports, co-curricular and life skills education to nurture well-rounded, socially responsible and compassionate global citizens. An after-school hours in-house Shiksha Kendra (education centre) and skilling unit for underprivileged children has the enthusiastic support of our children. However, the core of DPSJ learning is our unique cross-curricular pedagogy integrating economic, social, political, and cultural values of sustainability including the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Moreover, we believe in the continuous development of our teachers — our biggest assets,” says Dr. Richa Prakash Ghosh, a history and education postgraduate of Delhi, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Agra and IGNOU universities with two decades of teaching and admin experience in well-known schools in India and abroad, and incumbent principal of DPSJ. Last year, Ghosh was conferred the ‘Most Effective Principal’ award of the CSC Academy of the Union ministry of electronics & IT, for contribution towards community outreach programmes and social responsibility. To fulfill its objective of enabling integrated development of students, the school management has liberally invested in state-of-the-art academic and sports infrastructure facilities. Spread over 15 acres, DPSJ hosts three triple-storeyed air-conditioned academic blocks and a three-storeyed admin block with an aggregate built-up area of 47,718 sq. metres. The academic blocks house 116 spacious including 45 Smart classrooms, 11 modern science and computer laboratories, hi-tech multimedia, music and art rooms, and separate junior and senior libraries with 16,000 volumes. Residential accommodation includes separate air-cooled dormitories for 92 boys and 31 girls. Sports education is accorded high importance by the DPSJ management. “Last month, we signed a partnership agreement with Gurgaon-based sports training and education company Da One Sports Cube Pvt. Ltd, run by test cricket star Shikhar Dhawan. Da One has deputed 16 professional…
Within a short period of four years, MBZUAI, Abu Dhabi, has the earned the reputation of being the world’s first artificial intelligence-focused university Established in 2019, the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), Abu Dhabi has earned the reputation of being the world’s first AI (artificial intelligence) focused university. An exclusively postgrad and research institution (it doesn’t offer any undergrad programmes), in a short span of four years, MBZUAI has earned global acclaim for providing cutting-edge graduate AI education and research. In the 2022 CS Rankings compiled by Emery Berger, a professor in the College of Information & Computer Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (USA) campus, MBZUAI is ranked #127 worldwide in computer science and in its area of specialisation — AI, computer vision, machine learning, and natural language processing — #19 globally. Within three years of admitting its first batch of postgrad students, MBZUAI has concluded collaboration agreements with top-ranked universities worldwide and impressive industry-academia partnerships with corporates such as IBM, BioMap, Quris-AI, Infinite Brain Technologies (IBT), Malaria No More, Weizmann Institute of Science, and GE Healthcare. Named after Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, MBZUAI was established four years ago and officially licensed by the ministry of education to award degree certification on March 10, 2020. Currently, the university offers three Masters and doctoral programmes to 147 students from 27 countries mentored by 50 faculty of which half are from Abu Dhabi. Its President is Dr. Eric Xing, an alum of Rutgers University, University of California, Berkeley and Tsinghua University (China). “While we have a strong focus on foundational AI, much of the true innovation in AI comes in applied/interdisciplinary contexts, where intra-institutional opportunities are limited for a ‘narrower’ university. But our faculty has built strong international networks and signed up inter-disciplinary collaboration agreements with comprehensive universities worldwide and also with end users such as industry, hospitals, government institutions,” says Timothy Baldwin, Acting Provost, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, and professor of natural language processing, MBZUAI. MBZUAI alumni have thus far been placed with the Abu Dhabi Police, G42, Technology Innovation Institute, Metaverse Centre, Inria Lille Institute, Royal Eficaz, FortyGuard, Shinobi Security, Yalla Group, and SnapChat, UK among other organisations. Abu Dhabi. The admin capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi (pop.1.5 million) is a political, business and cultural hub with all federal government offices, parliament and foreign embassies located in this compact, well-planned city. Architecturally, Abu Dhabi is an aesthetic blend of domes and minarets of traditional mosques and gleaming futuristic skyscrapers. Tree-lined boulevards, manicured lawns, dazzling fountains and extensive parks successfully contradict the reality that this thriving city has been built in a desert, an impression reinforced by the marvellously engineered Abu Dhabi Corniche. The climate in Abu Dhabi is harsh during summer (June-September) when temperatures soar to 50°C. Winter temperatures range between 20°C-33°C. This entrepot is well-connected with daily direct flights (three-four hours duration) plying from Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Cochin. Campus facilities.…
Sited on a green 80-acre campus in Montreal, the largest city of the Francophone province of Quebec, McGill is consistently ranked among the world’s Top 50 universities by THE and QS, writes Reshma Ravishanker Founded in 1821, McGill University is one of Canada’s — and the world’s — most reputed institutions of higher learning. This 202-year-old publicly-funded university is consistently ranked among the world’s Top 50 higher education institutions. In the latest QS World University Rankings 2023, McGill is ranked #31 worldwide and in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023, #46. Sited on a green 80-acre campus in Montreal (pop.1.7 million), the largest city of the Francophone province of Quebec, McGill offers a rich menu of academic programmes. The university’s 25 faculties and professional schools offer undergraduate and postgrad degrees in over 300 academic disciplines to 39,513 students mentored by 1,778 faculty. The extensive range of academic subjects offered includes computer science, agricultural economics, management, environment, chemistry, finance, music and psychology. McGill has an interesting history. In 1813, James McGill, a Scottish immigrant who prospered in Montreal, bequeathed £10,000 and a 46-acre estate to found the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning — later named after him — to provide quality education for Quebec’s minority English-descent population. Chartered in 1821, McGill began instruction in 1829 with the establishment of its faculty of medicine. The faculty of arts followed in 1843 succeeded by modern languages, commercial studies and science. Indian origin scientist Prof. H. Deep Saini is the incumbent 18th Vice Chancellor of the varsity. The university is also a pioneer of sports education. The world’s first modern football game was played in 1874 between teams of McGill and Harvard universities. Moreover, it was a McGill graduate, James Naismith, who invented the game of basketball. The university website also claims that “McGill is arguably the birthplace of hockey”. Montreal. Canada’s second largest urban area, Montreal’s thriving commercial centre is within a few blocks from McGill’s main campus. A student-friendly multilingual city — English and French are the most spoken languages — it ranks #1 in Canada and #6 worldwide in the QS Best Student Cities Index 2019. Housing rents are low, as is the crime rate. Commuting is also convenient with provision of excellent public transport services. The old parts of Montreal near the harbour have been carefully restored to their 18th century splendour although new contemporary office towers built over the past two decades dominate areas near the university. The city also hosts modern shopping complexes and an eclectic mix of restaurants serving cuisines from around the world. Montreal has cold, snowy winters while summers are warm. Temperatures range between 50C to -100C in winter and 180C-210C in summer. Campus facilities. McGill is spread across three campuses: Downtown (80 acres), MacDonald (1,600 acres) and Gault Nature Reserve (2,470 acres). McGill’s historic tree-lined main Downtown Montreal campus is an oasis of green at the foot of Mount Royal Park, whose summit hosts the largest and finest urban park…
Promoted in 1978, VS has earned a well-deserved reputation in the national capital for providing holistic, values-based, culturally-rooted education to its 4,600 students, writes autar nehru Named after Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), India’s most influential philosopher-seer and social reformer, Vivekanand School, Delhi (VS, estb.1978) has earned a well-deserved reputation in the national capital for providing holistic, values-based, culturally-rooted K-12 education to its 4,600 students tutored by 200 teachers. Sited on a four-acre campus in the upscale Anand Vihar suburb, the co-ed VS is affiliated with the Delhi-based Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). In the latest EW India School Rankings 2022-23, VS is ranked among Delhi’s Top 60 co-ed day schools with high scores on the parameters of academic reputation, faculty competence and co-curricular education. Promoted in 1978 by Y.D. Ahuja, a former mayor of Delhi (1988-89), under the aegis of Vivekanand Shiksha Samiti (regstd. as a society in 1978), VS began its innings as a cluster of 13 neighbourhood private schools scattered across residential colonies in the trans-Yamuna area. In 1987, the society was allotted a four-acre plot in Anand Vihar by the Delhi Development Authority, after which all affiliates were merged to form the Vivekanand School in 1989. In addition, the society owns and manages a primary school with 400 students in Preet Vihar, 5 km from its main campus. “Education at Vivekanand School is deeply rooted in the belief that children develop optimally when delivered a balanced education combining rigorous academics with latest pedagogies supplemented by sports, co-curricular and most important, values education. Therefore, while our education philosophy is firmly anchored in Indian culture, spiritualism and traditions, our curriculum and pedagogies are contemporary, integrating newest technologies and best global practices,” says Pradyumn Ahuja, an engineering alumnus of IP University, Delhi, who took charge as chairman of the school in 2016 from Ahuja senior, who had steered it for 38 years. Since his appointment as chairman seven years ago, Ahuja has introduced several teaching-learning, student support and well-being innovations. “All our systems and processes are being re-directed towards a student-first approach. For instance, we have recently issued a directive under which every student is obliged to participate in academic and co-curricular activities in a micromanaged enabling classroom environment and several mapped appreciation and recognition events. This has resulted in improved learning outcomes across the board,” he says. The school’s comprehensive education philosophy and student-centred systems have paid off handsomely. VS students have consistently excelled in academics. In the recently concluded 2023 CBSE class X exam, the average score of the 358-strong cohort was 77 percent and in the class XII boards, the average score of students was 80 percent with 126 students averaging above 90 percent. Moreover, 13 students cleared the IIT-JEE Advanced this year, and an average of ten students have been securing scholarships every year in the highly competitive Mukhyamantri Vigyan Pratibha Pariksha Scheme (MVPPS), a scholarship programme of the Delhi government to promote science subjects among secondary students. Progressive pedagogies, rigorous curriculum and well-trained teachers apart,…
In recent years, MU is attracting growing interest from students in India especially for data and computer science and business analytics. Over the past two years it has fielded 800-1,000 admission applications annually, writes Reshma Ravishanker One of four constituent institutions of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth University (MU, estb.1997) is moving up the league tables of international varsity rating agencies. Times Higher Education ranks MU among the world’s Top 500 universities in its latest World University Rankings 2023 and among the Top 250 worldwide and #1 in Ireland in its THE Best Young University Rankings 2022. Sited on a typically Irish lush green 100-acre campus half-an-hour’s drive from Dublin, the national capital, MU offers over 150 study programmes in its faculties of humanities, science and engineering, and social sciences, including business, law, and education. Currently it hosts 15,180 students mentored by 643 faculty. Although awarded autonomous status 25 years ago, MU traces its origins to the Royal College of St. Patrick, founded in 1795 as a seminary for the education of clergy. In 1871, it transformed into Maynooth College and in 1910 into an affiliated college of the National University of Ireland (NUI). Nine decades later, the Universities Act, 1997, restructured NUI and Maynooth College was designated an autonomous institution of NUI — National University of Ireland Maynooth, aka Maynooth University. In recent years, MU is attracting growing interest from students in India especially for study programmes in data science and analytics, business and computer science. Over the past two years it has fielded 800-1,000 admission applications annually from the subcontinent. “With Ireland being the only English-speaking country in the European Union post Brexit, Eire has become a popular higher studies destination for Indian students to whom we guarantee excellent Irish hospitality. Our academic reputation is impressive. Maynooth is among the top 5 percent universities worldwide in terms of research output and academic impact,” says Dr. Emmanuel Kypraios, Director (Undergraduate Teaching and Learning). Maynooth. Sited a mere 25 km from Dublin, Maynooth (pop.15,000) is a varsity town with a charming historical heritage. MU apart, it also hosts St. Patrick’s College, a pontifical university and Ireland’s sole Roman Catholic seminary, Maynooth Castle and Carton House. The town’s other historical buildings are on the university’s South Campus, built in Georgian and neo-Gothic revival style. Unspoiled Irish countryside and spectacular scenery are within easy driving distance. With Dublin a short train/bus ride away, students are never short of entertainment and shopping options. The capital of Ireland, Dublin offers all the amenities of a national administrative capital while retaining its engaging small town flavor renowned for its highbrow art galleries, museums, theatres, shops, restaurants, nightclubs and zoological gardens. Maynooth enjoys a mild oceanic climate. Winters are cold and windy, with an average temperature of 8oC while summers are cool, averaging 18oC. Campus facilities. MU hosts two campuses — North and South, connected by a pedestrian crossing on Kilcock Road. Set within sparkling green parklands, South Campus houses vintage 19th century heritage buildings…
Ranked among the national capital’s Top 15 co-ed day schools in the EW India School Rankings 2022-23, ITLPS’ focus on balanced holistic education has paid off by way of excellent CBSE board exam resultss, writes Autar nehru Sited on a verdant campus in west Delhi’s rapidly gentrifying suburb of Dwarka, ITL Public School (ITLPS, estb.2001) has built itself a formidable reputation for providing holistic education to its 2,600 boys and girls mentored by 130 well-qualified and enthusiastic teachers. It has been awarded the British Council’s International School Award in 2015 and again in 2019. More recently this CBSE-affiliated fully air-conditioned K-12 school was ranked among India’s Top 50 and the national capital’s Top 15 co-ed day schools in the EW India School Rankings 2022-23. Promoted under the aegis of the Delhi-based Vasudeva Education Foundation Society driven by founders of ITL Finlease & Securities Ltd and designed by a coterie of experienced principals including Shomie Das, former principal of Mayo College, Ajmer and Dr. R.S. Lugani, founder-principal of DPS, R.K. Puram, ITLPS encompasses a green four-acre campus. It comprises two conjoined three-storeyed academic towers and a separate two-storeyed kindergarten block supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure. “ITLPS is built on the foundation of our motto — Integrity, Truth and Learning. Our mission is to develop into an inclusive school which will teach children to give rather than receive, and become involved with their communities. After Covid hit India in March 2020 forcing mass shutdown of education institutions countrywide, we swiftly swung into action to set up a 24X7 helpline and even helped parents to master digital skills,” recalls Dr. Sudha Acharya, a highly qualified special educator, appointed principal in 2011. An economics alumna of Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, Acharya acquired over three decades of valuable teaching and admin experience in DPS, Mathura Road among other reputed education institutions. By all yardsticks this school’s academic infrastructure is impressive. Its academic towers house 72 spacious and well-ventilated Smart classrooms, 15 laboratories (Atal Tinkering, science, maths, computer science, fashion, skill, psychology, career, art and English), a 300-seats auditorium and two well-stocked libraries for junior and senior students with an aggregate 20,000 print volumes and 45 journal subscriptions. Perhaps a shade less but nevertheless impressive, is ITLPS’ sports infrastructure. The school has an Olympics size swimming pool, a synthetic seasonal turf ground for cricket, football, and volleyball, basketball, tennis and badminton courts. Training in martial arts, roller skating, table tennis, chess, carrom, table soccer and yoga is also on the menu. In keeping with its commitment to provide children integrated holistic education, the school management strongly encourages co-curricular education. ITLPS’ rich co-curricular menu includes photography, music, art, dance, dramatics, tourism, innovation and entrepreneurship among other activities. The Student Council empowers students with leadership skills; a “buddy program” binds senior and junior students together to check bullying and develop conflict resolution skills even as the management has devised a well-structured SEL (social and emotional learning) programme. “Developing an entrepreneurial mindset within our students is a thrust initiative of the…
One of the two flagship academies of the State University of New York, UB has been ranked among America’s Top 40 public universities for five years consecutively by the US News & World Report, writes Reshma Ravishanker The state University of New York at Buffalo (UB aka SUNY, Buffalo, estb.1846) is one of two flagship varsities of the State University of New York (the other is Stony Brook). A member academy of the Association of American Universities, an elite group of higher education research institutions, UB has been ranked among the country’s Top 40 public universities for five years consecutively by US News & World Report. Likewise, the Institute of International Education (IIE) ranks UB among America’s Top 30 higher-ed institutions for student diversity — 13 percent of its 21,467 undergraduate students are from foreign shores. Spread across three campuses in Buffalo city, 35 km from the globally-famous Niagara Falls, UB offers it 33,000 students mentored by 2,500 faculty over 450 study programmes across the faculties of architecture and planning, arts and sciences, dental medicine, education, engineering and applied sciences, law, management, nursing, pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, public health and health professions, social work, and the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The university also hosts over 150 research centres with an annual research budget of $422 million (Rs.3,460 crore). The incumbent president of UB is India-born Dr. Satish K. Tripathi. UB traces its origins to 1846 when it was promoted as a private medical college to train and certify medical practitioners of the villages of Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Over the next century, it transformed into the private University of Buffalo. In 1962, it was merged into the State University of New York public education system. Illustrious alumni include award-winning journalist Wolf Blitzer; Li Yanhong (Robin Li), co-founder of baidu.com, the largest Chinese language search engine; Khalil Mack, NFL football superstar and American television star John Walsh. Buffalo. The second largest city of New York state, Buffalo (pop.278,349) is sited on the eastern shore of Lake Erie, at the head of the River Niagara, on the US-Canada border. The world-famous Niagara Falls is a mere 30 minutes by road and the Buffalo-Niagara counties host a population of over 1 million. Cafeterias and parks along the river are a hub for cyclists to explore the scenic region. Buffalo is also among three US cities with a radial street pattern with the Niagara Square at its epicentre. The city’s cultural landmarks include the oldest urban parks system in the US, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Shea’s Performing Arts Cen[1]ter, and Buffalo Museum of Science. It also hosts several other higher education institutions with an enrolment of over 54,000 students. Outdoor recreation activities include hiking, ice biking, sailing, and fishing. Buffalo has warm summers and cold, snowy winters, and receives above average rainfall. Temperatures are the lowest in January (-4°C) and highest in July (25°C). Campus facilities. UB sprawls across three campuses in the city — North, South and Downtown.…
Within the short span of a decade since it admitted its first batch of 23 children mentored by five teachers in 2014, TGS has quickly won golden opinions. In EWISR 2022-23, TGS is ranked among Telangana’s Top 30 co-ed day schools, writes M. Somasekhar Sited on a ten-acre ecofriendly campus in Gajularamaram in Hyderabad’s upscale suburb of Kukatpally, the Tatva Global School (TGS, estb.2014) has acquired a big reputation within the short span of a decade. In the latest EW India School Rankings 2022-23, TGS — which has 987 boys and 853 girl students mentored by 140 teachers on its muster rolls — is ranked among the Top 30 co-ed day schools in Telangana and Hyderabad. Promoted by the Shree Datta Educational Society (regstd.2012) — co-founded by Viswanath Sivaswamy, T. Usha, Katamreddy Rangadham, Shahid Ali Khan and Raghunadh Reddy — this K-12 CBSE (Delhi)-affiliated school, which admitted its first batch of 23 children and five teachers in 2014, has quickly won golden opinions. “At Tatva, we firmly believe that inculcating good values, appreciating nature and ecology and developing a curious mind are essential for child development. We are wholly committed to nurturing global citizens equipped to manage the complexities of the future through our 3Cs — character, confidence and communication — curriculum. Therefore, the school’s curriculum is an optimal mix of rigorous academics, sports and co-curricular education. With a teacher-pupil ratio of 1:13, we pride ourselves on bestowing individual attention upon all students,” says Viswanath Sivaswamy, an engineering and business management alum of Acharya Nagarjuna, Guntur and Illinois (USA) universities, and director and CEO of TGS which is fast developing into a model school of the future. According to Sivaswamy, the nationwide lockdown of schools for 82 weeks following outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic was a blessing in disguise in as much as it accelerated the adoption of latest ICT technologies to enable curriculum delivery. “Now with students back in their classrooms, teachers are thoroughly equipped to provide an excellent mix of ICT-enabled contemporary pedagogy,” adds Sivaswamy. “The school’s USP is its 360 degree curriculum which optimally integrates academics, sports, co-curricular activities and life skills development. It includes 75 minutes of physical activity (sports, games, dance etc) every day, specially designed to keep children engaged productively. Students are encouraged to share knowledge through project-based activities and public speaking. Forty percent of students’ time in school is devoted to life skills development, towards all-round education,” says T. Usha, a history postgrad of Delhi University, and the school’s academic coordinator. TGS’ eco-friendly campus spread over ten acres which includes a 350-trees mango orchard, houses four state-of-the-art academic buildings with 104 well-equipped ICT-enabled classrooms, five modern laboratories including a science, three computer, and a maths lab, four multipurpose halls, three music rooms, and two performing arts halls. Moreover, the well-stocked in-class and central libraries house 7,000 volumes, digital resources and 12 subscribed magazines and journals. A 2,500-seat dining hall serves children hot (vegetarian) meals in which a sharing and caring culture is encouraged.…
The major attraction of AUA is that its medical education is recognised in the United States, UK, Canada, India and most European countries, writes Reshma Ravishanker IN THE NEW GLOBALISED WORLD, the once-distant Caribbean islands have emerged as hubs of accessible medical education. Currently, the 13 island nations host 60 medical colleges and thousands of international students from around the world. Their main attraction is that degree issued by most of these medical colleges are recognised in the United States, UK, Canada, and most European countries. Within this salubrious region renowned for its sunshine, white sand beaches and sparkling waters, the American University of Antigua College of Medicine (AUA, estb.2004) has become the most favoured institution of aspiring medicine practitioners from India and the transnational Indian diaspora. Sited in the Antigua and Barbuda Islands, AUA is owned and managed by the Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), India’s premier education multinational which has also established state-of-the-art medical colleges-cum-teaching hospitals in Nepal, Malaysia, and a university in Dubai. In India, the MEMG includes the not-for-profit Manipal Academy for Higher Education (MAHE), routinely top-ranked among India’s private varsities in the EducationWorld India Higher Education Rankings, and the distance education Sikkim-Manipal University. Currently, the AUA College of Medicine offers a Doctor of Medicine degree programme to 2,200 students including 660 of Indian origin mentored by 338 faculty. AUA graduates are eligible to practice in all 50 states of the US and in the UK, Canada, India, among other countries worldwide. The major attraction of AUA is that it is accredited by medical education boards worldwide — the Caribbean Accreditation Authority of Education in Medicine and Other Health Sciences; Medical Board of California; New York State Education Department, and Florida Department of Education. Moreover the New York Board of Regents permits AUA students to be placed in long-term clinical clerkships in New York state. “We are approved by all major US state medical bodies and our students can apply for residency in any of the 50 states of America, the UK and Canada. We are also approved by GMC (UK) and are a member institution of the American Medical Students Alliance Association,” says an AUA spokesperson. In 2022, the varsity’s medical graduates recorded excellent placements — 240 graduates were awarded residency positions at hospitals in the US. Moreover, the pass rate of AUA students in the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 — a prerequisite for clinical internship in the US — is 92 percent (average pass rate since the last 3 years) and USMLE Step 2 CK — mandatory for practising medicine in the US — 97 percent. AUA was founded in 2004 with an initial batch of nine students. Four years later in 2008, it was acquired by the MEMG. Antigua and Barbuda. A sovereign nation of the West Indies, Antigua and Barbuda is primarily known for these eponymous islands, though it includes several smaller ones. Antigua boasts a 95-miles coastline while Barbuda Island is protected by reefs and hosts…
SSPS is the first CBSE-affiliated English-medium school in the under-served Beed district of Maharashtra. In the latest EW India School Rankings 2022-23, it is ranked among the state’s Top 10 day-cum-boarding schools, writes Dipta Joshi SITED ON A GREEN 35-acre campus in the educationally under-served Marathwada region of Maharashtra’s Beed district (pop.2 million), the co-ed Shiv Sharda Public School, Gadhi, Georai (SSPS, estb.2003) has acquired a good reputation for providing integrated academic, sports and co-curricular education to its 879 students — including 184 boarders — mentored by 46 well-qualified teachers. In the latest EW India School Rankings 2022-23, this CBSE-affiliated class I-X school is ranked among Maharashtra’s Top 10 day-cum-boarding schools. Promoted by the Georai-based Jagadamba Shikshan Prasarak Mandal trust (JSPM, regstd.1991) founded by visionary philanthropist and former Maharashtra revenue minister Shivajirao Pandit, SSPS is the first English-medium class I-X school in the taluka. It draws students from neighbouring Aurangabad, Jalna, Latur and Osmanabad districts. Currently the trust, managed by Shivajirao’s sons Amarsinha and Jaisingh, runs 37 educational institutions across Maharashtra with an aggregate enrolment of 16,000 students. “The objective of my father and founder-chairman, Shivajirao Pandit, was to provide children in Georai and neighbouring villages, access to high-quality English medium education blending rigorous academics with a wide range of sports, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities to nurture and develop their potential and holistic personalities. The motto of SSPS ‘Win the World’ encapsulates our founder’s belief in the power of high-quality education to develop children into leaders of change. To enable our students to pursue higher education in institutions of national repute, this year we have affiliated SSPS with the Delhi-based Central Board of Secondary Education,” says Jaisingh Pandit, an alum of the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University and secretary of JSPM. Deeply influenced by Prof. Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, JSPM trustees and the SSPS management enable students to access diverse activities to discover, enhance, refine and showcase their innate talents. “Among our newly introduced programmes are scouts and guides and the International Award for Young People. Moreover we have designed a special leadership programme for high school students. Prefects in particular, are given responsibility to manage the school’s pupil welfare, cultural affairs and public relations programmes. The school also regularly organises teacher training workshops to ensure their continuous professional development,” says N.P. Datta, principal of SSPS since 2019. A commerce postgraduate of North Bengal University, Siliguri, Datta acquired three decades of valuable teaching and admin experience in the CISCE-affiliated Father Le Blond School, Siliguri and The Assam Valley School, Balipara, prior to signing up with SSPS three years ago. The school’s wi-fi enabled campus which is under 24/7 CCTV surveillance, houses 44 spacious and well-ventilated classrooms including four Smart classrooms which students attend by rotation, composite science, computer and maths laboratories, an audio-visual resources room and a library with 1,421 print volumes and seven journal subscriptions. The residential block hosts separate hostels for 184 junior and senior students, a 1,000-seat dining hall, a 24×7 infirmary staffed by qualified…
A public research varsity which doesn’t charge tuition fees for domestic and international students, TUM is ranked among the Top 50 universities worldwide by THE and QS, writes Reshma Ravishanker ONE OF THE OLDEST UNIVERSITIES OF Germany, the Technical University of Munich (TUM, estb.1868) is internationally reputed for its high-quality academic and research programmes in engineering, life and natural sciences. A public research varsity, which doesn’t charge tuition fees for domestic and international students, TUM is ranked #30 in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings (WUR) 2022-23 and #49 in the QS WUR 2022-23. TUM which boasts the tagline — ‘the entrepreneurial university’ — is also a hub of business start-ups with 74 enterprises incubated last year. Unsurprisingly, Sifted — a web portal of the London-based Financial Times — ranks TUM #6 in Europe for graduating the most unicorn promoters in the continent. Nine companies founded by TUM alumni are featured as “future unicorns” in Europe’s Top Unicorn Universities list. Founded in 1868 by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, TUM admitted its first batch of 350 students and 24 professors in its inaugural year. In 1901, it was conferred the right to award Ph D qualifications. During World War II (1939- 1945), 80 percent of the university’s Munich campus was destroyed and teaching-learning suspended. In 1946, the university reopened and gradually rebuilt its impressive infrastructure and facilities. Currently, TUM’s eight schools (computation, information and technology; engineering and design; natural sciences; life sciences; management; social sciences and technology) offer undergrad, postgrad and doctoral programmes to over 50,000 students mentored by 7,000 faculty. With 40 percent of its students from abroad, TUM offers 76 degree programmes in the English medium. Alumni include 18 Nobel Prize winners. Among them: Hans Fischer (1930 for chemistry), Joachim Frank (2017, chemistry) and Anton Zeilinger (2022, physics). Munich. The capital of the state of Bavaria, Munich (pop. 6 million) is Germany’s third largest city after Berlin and Hamburg. Straddling the River Isar (a tributary of the Danube) north of the Bavarian Alps, the city is a global hub of engineering, technology, automobile, and creative industries. It hosts the head offices of several multinational corporations including BMW, Siemens, MAN, Allianz and Munich RE. In the latest QS Best Student Cities Rankings 2022, it is ranked #2 worldwide. The city is also a hub of arts, music and culture and hosts several international festivals through the year. Moreover it hosts some of the region’s largest breweries, and is known worldover for its annual Octoberfest. The city has a continental climate with warm summers (240-350 C) and freezing winters with the mercury dipping to -40 C year end. Campus facilities. TUM’s main campus in Munich is supplemented by regional campuses in Garching, Weihenstephan, Straubing, and Heilbronn, and an international campus in Singapore. The historic Munich campus is sited in the heart of the city between the Konigsplatz and Pinakotheken art museums and hosts the university’s schools of engineering and design, management, social sciences and technology and the department…
Within a decade since it was promoted, MRPS has acquired an enviable reputation for providing excellent academics, co-curricular and sports education, writes Paromita Sengupta In Maharashtra — India’s most industrialised state (pop.123 million) — the Mukesh R. Patel School (Residential), Shirpur (MRPS, estb.2013) has quickly acquired an excellent reputation for providing its 322 students, including 234 boarders, excellent academic, co-curricular and sports education. In the EducationWorld India School Rankings 2022-23, this relatively new CBSE (Delhi)-affiliated class I-XII school is ranked among the Top 5 co-ed day-cum-boarding schools statewide. MRPS was promoted a decade ago by the Mumbai-based Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal (SVKM) — a public charitable trust — driven by eminent educationist and incumbent legislative council member Amrishbhai Patel, president and trustee. SVKM (regstd.1934) has promoted and/or manages seven schools, 14 colleges including the top-ranked NMIMS Deemed University with an aggregate enrolment of 39,000 students. Patel is also founder of the Shirpur Education Society (estb.1986) which has promoted over 70 education institutions in the vicinity of Shirpur. A former Maharashtra education minister, Patel is widely credited with transforming Shirpur (pop.428,088) — once an arid and educationally backward rural village in north Maharashtra — into a green, water-sufficient, well-developed town. “The objective of our promoter-trustee Amrishbhai Patel is to provide children in Shirpur and beyond access to high-quality day-cum-boarding education to develop their holistic personalities. Therefore, a defining characteristic of MRPS is that we offer excellent academics through usage of contemporary pedagogies delivered by well-trained teachers complemented with a wide range of sports, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities,” says P. Subhash, an economics and English postgraduate of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, awarded a doctorate in economics by BAMU University, Aurangabad, and principal of MRPS since 2019. According to Subhash, the school’s focus on holistic education and teacher training and development has paid off in a big way. MRPS has recorded excellent results in the CBSE class X school-leaving board exam. Of the 58 students who wrote the class X exam in 2022, four averaged over 90 percent and 17 passed with distinction. Likewise, in 2021, of the 53 students who wrote the class X boards, 16 passed with distinction. “In 2020, the Dhule district CBSE topper was our student. We are also expecting excellent results from our inaugural class XII batch next year,” says Subhash. Sited on a sylvan 40-acre campus off the Shirpur-Chopda state highway, MRPS offers state-of-the-art enabling infrastructure to its 322 students mentored by 35 well-qualified faculty. The school’s main academic block comprises 20 fully-wired Smart classrooms, nine wi-fi enabled laboratories (science, art, social science, language, computer etc) and separate libraries for primary-secondary and higher secondary students with an aggregate 4,000 print volumes, 14 journal subscriptions and 15,000 digital books. The well-furbished residential block hosts separate hostels for boys and girls, a 420-seat dining hall, kitchen, infirmary, salon, indoor sports and television room. In conformity with the school’s mission to provide balanced holistic education, co-curricular and sports education are also accorded high importance. MRPS has signed up with…
Arguably India’s most successful holistic learning school, SA has acquired a national reputation for blending academics, sports and co-curricular education, writes M. Somasekhar Sited on a verdant 4.2-acre campus in Hyderabad (pop.10 million) aka the city of pearls, Suchitra Academy (SA, estb.2011) is arguably India’s most successful holistic learning day school. Over the past 11 years since it admitted its first batch of 26 children and 14 teachers, this CBSE (Delhi)-affiliated school has acquired a national reputation for providing integrated education, optimally blending integrated academic, sports and co-curricular education to its 2,000 students — including 923 girl children — mentored by 155 well-qualified teachers. In 2018, the school also introduced the Cambridge International (early years and primary) curriculums of the UK-based Cambridge Assessment International Education for class I-VI students. In the latest EW India School Rankings 2021-22, Suchitra Academy is ranked among the country’s Top 15 co-ed day schools and #4 in Hyderabad. Promoted by edupreneur K.V. Praveen Raju, SA is the sole K-12 school campus to host a world-class badminton training academy (with seven indoor wooden courts) where two-time Olympics medalist P.V. Sindhu and boxing champion Nikhat Zareen among others train. The autonomous academy, which currently hosts 120 trainees, has been awarded Khelo India status by the Union government. As such, Rs.6 lakh per annum is awarded to every athlete admitted for training. Currently the academy hosts 20 Khelo India athletes. In 2020, the academy was conferred 5-Star rating under the FIT India Schools programme. “In SA, we are fully committed to developing the mind, body and soul of every child. Therefore, our curriculum is an optimal mix of rigorous academics, sports and co-curricular education. With a teacher-pupil ratio of 1:13, we pride ourselves on according individual attention to all children and for providing excellent professional development programmes to our 155 teachers,” says Raju, an engineering alum of Osmania University and former nationally ranked snooker and badminton player. The nationwide lockdown of schools for 82 weeks following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic proved a blessing in disguise, inasmuch as it accelerated the school’s programme to build a new interactive analytics platform and enable better curriculum delivery. The management promptly orchestrated “seamless transition to online platforms for admin, teaching-learning, student assessment and co-curricular education”. “Our curriculum is designed to cover at least 35 percent of teaching-learning through deep project work. To provide students a headstart in new-age digital disciplines and careers, post-Covid, subjects such as artificial intelligence and coding have also been integrated into the school’s core curriculum,” says Deepa Kapoor, an English literature alumna of Osmania University, who signed up as an academic co-ordinator in 2011 and was promoted to principal’s office in 2020. The school’s fully Wi-Fi enabled campus spread over four green acres hosts five state-of-the-art buildings. They house 75 spacious ICT-enabled classrooms fitted with digital display boards, eight state-of-the-art labs including four science, two computer, maths and home science labs, three multipurpose halls, a 1,700-seat amphitheatre, media studio, and a well-stocked library with 7,937 volumes,…
Ranked among the Top 5 in Canada in QS World University Rankings 2023 and #110 worldwide, University of Alberta, Canada, has an aggregate enrolment of 41,061 scholars from 156 countries, writes Reshma Ravishanker Sprawled across four campuses in Edmonton, University of Alberta (UoA, estb.1908) is a high-ranked public higher education institution with an aggregate enrolment of 40,061 scholars from 156 countries worldwide. This 114-year-old varsity is ranked among the Top 5 in Canada in QS World University Rankings 2023 and #110 worldwide. UoA is also highly ranked for research impact — #4 in Canada and #81 globally in the NTU (National Taiwan University) Rankings 2019. A member institution of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, and Worldwide Universities Network, UoA’s 18 faculties offer over 200 undergraduate and 500 graduate programmes in the humanities, sciences, creative arts, business, engineering and health sciences. Distinguished alumni include the late physicist Richard E. Taylor, Nobel Prize (1990) winner; Joe Clark, former Canada prime minister; former chief justice Beverley McLachlin and Canadian football star Nereo Bolzon. Established by the University Act 1906, UoA admitted its first batch of 45 students including seven women into its English, mathematics and modern languages faculties in 1908. Since then, the university has expanded steadily by establishing faculties of agriculture, law, medicine, engineering and applied sciences. Edmonton. Sited on the banks of North Saskatchewan River, Edmonton (pop.1.1 million) is the northern most city of North America and administrative capital of Alberta province. A government, cultural, and educational hub, Edmonton is also known as ‘Canada’s Festival City’ because it hosts a slew of festivals year-round. A popular tourist destination, it boasts West Edmonton Mall, the second largest mall in North America; Fort Edmonton Park, Canada’s largest living history museum; the Elk Island National Park, and Royal Alberta Museum. Edmonton has freezing winters and sunny summers. Winter temperatures can dip below -10oC and average 23oC in summer. Campus facilities. UoA is spread across four sites in Edmonton and one in Camrose. The main North campus is located in the heart of the city with a blend of heritage buildings and modern architecture. Set amidst sprawling green lawns, it comprises 150 buildings housing modern academic and laboratory facilities. A short shuttle ride from the North campus is Campus Sain Jean which offers degree programmes in arts, commerce, education, engineering, science, nursing, conservation and environmental sciences. South Campus is a hub for agriculture education and also hosts the university’s state-of-the-art Saville Community Sports Centre, a 32,516 sq. m multi-sports facility. The fourth Enterprise Square campus sited in downtown Edmonton’s historic Bay Building comprises TEC Edmonton, faculty of extension, Alberta School of Business executive education and family business programs, advancement and alumni relations. The Augustana campus, located in Camrose, 93 km from Edmonton equipped with modern classrooms, labs and residential facilities, offers degree programmes in the liberal arts and sciences, outdoor education and sport. UoA’s library system is the second largest nationwide and houses 13 million volumes, 1.3 million…
Sited on a green 12-acre campus in Nagpur (pop.2.5 million) — Maharashtra’s third largest city — Delhi Public School, Mihan, (DPS Mihan, estb.2018) has quickly established a sterling reputation for progressive K-10 education provision. Within the short span of four years, this CBSE-affiliated co-ed day school has emerged as one of the orange city’s premier schools admired for dispensing rigorous academic and excellent sports and co-curricular education to its 1,300 students mentored by 75 teachers. In the latest EducationWorld India School Rankings 2021-22, DPS Mihan is ranked #4 in Nagpur and among Maharashtra’s Top 40 co-ed day schools. Moreover, in the EducationWorld Grand Jury Awards 2021-22, it was adjudged Maharashtra’s #1 Emerging High-Potential School. The promoter of DPS Mihan is the Chattisgarh-based Shri Chiranjilal Bajoria Education Society (regd.2004). In 2006, the society promoted its first school — DPS, Kamptee Road, ranked Nagpur’s #1 co-ed day school in the EWISR 2021-22. With the group’s flagship school unable to meet the growing demand for admission, DPS Mihan was promoted in 2018. Currently, the two schools have an aggregate enrolment of 4,600 students mentored by 250 teachers. Philanthropist Tulika Kedia, preident of Sri Chiranjilal Bajoria Education Society and pro vice chairperson of DPS Mihan, is delighted with the school’s quick growth and acceptance by the public. “Our objective is provision of a safe, stimulating and joyous learning environment where children acquire the skills and knowledge to become successful, sensitive and responsible global citizens. My several years of experience in primary-secondary education has made me acutely aware that we need a renaissance in K-12 education for sustained social transformation and national development. The new generation isn’t satisfied with mere regurgitation of information. Today’s tech enabled children are anxious to develop higher order thinking skills to solve the nation’s problems, and to aid and enable the less privileged. Therefore at DPS Mihan, the curriculum develops students’ intelligence and emotional quotient while providing world-class academics and pedagogies supplemented with fine arts, performing arts, culture, environment and sports education,” says Kedia, an alumna of La Martiniere for Girls, Kolkata and Delhi University, and a well-known art patron and collector of indigenous tribal art. To enable DPS Mihan to attain its objective of delivering superior holistic education, the society’s management led by Kedia has spared no expense in installing world-class facilities for academic, sports and co-curricular education. The school’s verdant 12-acre campus hosts two academic blocks comprising 48 well-ventilated classrooms equipped with Smart boards and latest digital technologies, four modern science, two computer and math labs and a library housing over 10,000 volumes. The campus has been specially designed to provide joyful learning spaces for pre-primary children including theme-based classrooms, jungle gym, sensory botanical garden and child-friendly indoor and outdoor play areas. The school’s state-of-the-art performing arts facility — ‘Artist Village’ — comprising dance, art and music studios, art gallery, five acoustically enhanced practice rooms and a 400-seat amphitheater, is a unique campus feature. Sports facilities equally mpressive with five acres earmarked for outdoor sports including football, cricket,…
In 20 bachelor’s and 150 Masters degree programmes, English is the medium of instruction in this public research institution consistently ranked the Netherlands’ #1 varsity, writes Reshma Ravishanker The Netherlands’ third oldest varsity, the University of Amsterdam (UvA, estb.1632) is internationally reputed for teaching and research excellence. A publicly-funded research institution, UvA is consistently ranked the Netherlands’ #1 university and among the world’s Top 60 in the QS and THE global rankings. The US News & World Report ranks it #38 and the London-based QS ranks it #55. Spread across four campuses in the Dutch capital renowned for its museums and canals, UvA offers a wide range of bachelor’s programmes in its seven faculties including the humanities, social and behavioural sciences, economics and business, science, law, medicine, and dentistry to 34,000 students mentored by 6,000 faculty and administrative staff. In 20 bachelor’s and 150 Masters degree programmes, English is the medium of instruction (see box). While the official language of the Netherlands is Dutch, English language literacy is almost universal. However, UvA spokespersons recommend that foreign students also learn elementary Dutch (Institute for Dutch Language Education, https://intt.uva.nl/) online before emplaning. UvA traces its history to 1632 when the city’s municipal authorities promoted the Athenaeum Illustre (Illustrious School) of medical education. In 1877, the City of Amsterdam elevated it to the status of University of Amsterdam and conferred the right to award doctoral degrees upon it. A century later (1961), it was declared a National University. Given its ancient vintage and academic tradition, it’s unsurprising UvA boasts an impressive alumni roll call including six Nobel laureates, five Dutch prime ministers, former Belgium prime minister Charles Michel, Dutch politician Thierry Henri Philippe Baudet, author Jkvr. Karin Hildur ‘Kajsa’ Ollongren, and Sutan Sjahrir (1909-1966), Indonesia’s first prime minister. Amsterdam. The admin capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam (pop.1.6 million) is globally renowned for its museums and elaborate canals system. Known as the ‘Venice of the North’, it has over 150 canals which lend the city its unique character and ambience. The Museum Quarter houses Amsterdam’s three most visited sites — Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art — all of whom display the works of Dutch masters, contemporary artists and impressionists. This bicycle-friendly city also hosts several theatres, concert halls and parks and attracts 7-9 million tourists annually. The weather in Amsterdam is sub-oceanic and rainy which means it has cold (but not freezing) winters and cool summers. The wind blows frequently and furiously especially from November to March. Average summer temperature ranges between 15-18oC, while in winter it could plunge to 0oC. Campus facilities. UvA has four campuses spread across Amsterdam. They are a mix of heritage buildings overlooking canals and modern academic architecture. The historic University Quarter in city centre houses the humanities faculty, University Library, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Allard Pierson Museum. Roeterseiland is an open city campus, sited adjacent to the Plantage district, and houses students enrolled in economics and business, social…
Set to celebrate its silver jubilee next year, this K-12 school for children of armed forces officers has earned an excellent reputation for providing holistic, values-based education to its 3,700 students including 1,489 girl children, writes Baishali mukherjee Sited on a ten-acre eco-friendly campus on the banks of River Hooghly in the British East India Company’s first factory town of Barrackpore (pop.1.5 lakh) — a 90-minute drive from Kolkata — the CBSE-affiliated Army Public School, Barrackpore (APS-B, estb.1998) has earned a statewide reputation for providing holistic, values-based education to its 3,700 students, including 1,489 girls mentored by 130 teachers. In the latest EW India School Rankings 2021-22, this low-profile school is ranked among West Bengal’s Top 40 co-ed day schools and #2 in Barrackpore. Established over two decades ago by patron Maj. Gen. Jitendra Singh (VSM) and chairman Brig. M.S. Dadwal under the aegis of the Army Welfare Education Society (AWES) — which runs and manages 137 Army Public Schools and 249 Army pre-primaries countrywide — APS, Barrackpore provides K-12 education to children of serving, short service commissioned and retired armed forces officers. Under the AWES charter, a small number (10 percent of total enrolment) of civilian children are also admitted into the school. “Our objective is to nurture children’s academic, co-curricular, and socio-emotional learning skills in a safe, secure and stimulating environment. Therefore, the curriculum integrates rigorous academics with sports, co-curricular and life skills education. Our mission is to shape students into well-rounded and confident school-leavers equipped with academic, social and life skills needed to succeed in their chosen vocations. With a teacher-pupil ratio of 1:20, we pride ourselves on providing individual attention to all children and also for excellent professional development programmes to our 130 teachers,” says Dr. Moitreyee Mukherjee, an alumna of Calcutta and Kalyani universities who brought two decades of rich teaching and admin experience in reputed schools (Nivedita School, Barrackpore, Air Force Sr. Sec School, Hindon, Ghaziabad) into APS, Barrackpore when she was appointed principal in 2015. In particular, Mukherjee is satisfied with the school’s smooth transition to online learning after the lockdown of education institutions countrywide on March 25, 2020 following outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. “During the past two years when schooling moved online, our teachers made extraordinary efforts to devise engaging online lessons and worksheets. Therefore, when our children returned to in-person schooling in February, teachers had little difficulty in making good the learning loss of students,” says Mukherjee. Since APS-B admitted its first batch of 450 pupils and 20 teachers in a modest building 23 years ago, the school has blossomed. Currently, the school’s campus spread over green acres, hosts ten state-of-the-art buildings interspersed with manicured lawns and Chinese herbal gardens. Academic facilities include 100 spacious technology aided learning (TAL)-enabled classrooms fitted with Smart boards, seven air-conditioned and wi-fi enabled labs including four science and three computer labs, three 200-seat multipurpose halls, and two well-stocked junior and senior libraries housing over 17,000 volumes and 27 subscribed magazines and journals. The school’s…
UoM (estb. 1853) has nurtured four Australian prime ministers, five governors general and eight Nobel laureates. Times Higher Education ranks it Australia #1 and #33 worldwide, writes Reshma Ravishanker The sixth continent’s second-oldest public higher education institution, University of Melbourne (UoM, estb.1853) has nurtured four Australian prime ministers, five governors-general and eight Nobel laureates — the most of any university Down Under. The London-based Times Higher Education ranks UoM Australia’s #1 university and #33 worldwide in its World University Rankings 2022. The China-based Shanghai Jiao Tong University Institute of Higher Education ranks UoM among the world’s Top 35 universities in its Academic Ranking of World Universities 2022. Legislated by a special Act of the Parliament of Victoria in 1853, UoM admitted its first batch of 16 students and four professors in a cluster of buildings on the fringes of Melbourne. During the 1900s, UoM expanded significantly when the university amalgamated a number of undergrad colleges, and initiated a curriculum makeover in 2008. Under the new UoM model, students are encouraged to sign up for a general bachelor’s degree before undertaking specialised postgraduate and professional courses. Sited on six leafy campuses in the state of Victoria, UoM’s ten faculties offer bachelors, Masters and doctoral programmes to 52,000 students from 150 countries. The university boasts a substantial endowment of $1.33 billion (Rs.10,357 crore) Melbourne. The capital of the south-eastern state of Victoria and the continent’s second-most populous city, Melbourne (pop.5.31 million) has been adjudged the world’s #1 urban habitat for seven consecutive years (2011-2017) in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index. A prominent financial hub of the Asia-Pacific region, this well-kempt metropolis offers a smooth public transport system and numerous shopping options. For those interested in the arts, Melbourne provides world-class theatre, concerts and galleries. And true to the tradition of sports-crazy Australia, UoM offers sports lovers opportunities to witness world-class events such as the Australian Grand Prix and Australian Open. Other attractions include the Melbourne Cricket Ground, National Gallery of Victoria, the World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building, Queen Victoria Market, Royal Botanical Gardens, Puffing Billy Railways, and the Melbourne Zoo. Within an hour’s drive of Melbourne are some of Oz’s most unspoilt beaches, rainforest, mountains and lakes. Mean temperatures average is 60C in winter and 310C in summer. Campus facilities. The university’s main Parkville campus hosts a mix of historic buildings and awards-winning modern architecture. Within walking distance of downtown Melbourne, the campus hosts ten faculties, state-of-the-art laboratories, IT-enabled classrooms, 12 libraries, specialty stores, cafes, gyms, a supermarket, and a seasonal farmers market. Sports facilities are extensive and include an athletics track, olympic size swimming pool, a cricket oval, tennis and squash courts, and fitness centres. UoM’s six other specialist campuses — Southbank, Burnley, Creswick, Dookie, Shepparton and Werribee —are spread across Victoria state. The Southbank Campus housed within the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music offers contemporary music studios and galleries. Established by the Victorian Department of Agriculture, a short ride from central Melbourne is the Burnley Campus which offers courses…
Established by an act of parliament in 1946, Australian National University (ANU) is widely acknowledged as the sixth continent’s premier research and teaching institution of Higher Education, writes Summiya Yasmeen Strategically located in Canberra, the national capital, the Australian National University (ANU) is widely acknowledged as the sixth continent’s premier research and teaching institution of higher education. The Australian Good Universities Guide 2005 awarded it a five-star rating for six categories including prestige, staff qualifications, graduate starting salaries and placements. Moreover, the China-based Shanghai Jiao Tong University Institute of Higher Education’s Academic Ranking of World Universitieshas ranked ANU ahead of every other university in the southern hemisphere two years (2004 and 05) in a row. Promoted by an act of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1946, ANU was established as the country’s first full-time research university without any teaching responsibilities. Its mandate was to undertake “postgraduate research and study both generally and in relation to subjects of national importance”. However, subsequently in 1960 following its amalgamation with the Canberra University College, it incorporated the latter institution’s undergraduate study programmes. Following another amalgamation in 1992 with the Canberra Institute of the Arts (comprising the Canberra School of Art and the Canberra School of Music), music and art study programmes were incorporated into its syllabus. Throughout these mergers and acquisitions, the research institutions of the parent ANU of 1946 vintage maintained their distinct identities under the umbrella of the Institute of Advanced Studies. Currently ANU’s seven faculties offer a wide range of undergrad, postgrad and doctoral programmes. Sited on a leafy campus ANU has an aggregate enrollment of 13,500, of whom 8,700 are undergrad and 4,600 postgraduate students. Moreover it boasts more faculty with higher degrees, more ARC Discovery grants per staff member and more research expenditure per faculty member than any other Australian university. “ANU continues to be a unique institution within the Australian university system. It is well placed to continue and build upon its role as a major centre of research in the natural, physical and social sciences and the humanities. It values its reputation as an innovative research and teaching university,” says Prof. Ian Chubb, vice chancellor and president of ANU. Canberra. The capital of Australia, Canberra (pop.3.12 million) is an exquisitely designed city nestling in a picturesque bushland setting. With a history spanning just 80 years, Canberra combines the infrastructure and facilities of a modern city with the culture and vibrancy of a national capital. Designed by Chicago architect, Walter Burley Griffin, it is centred around a scenic lake bearing his name. Numerous parks and reserves dot the capital and careful integration of urban and natural environments has earned Canberra the sobriquet of “the bush capital”. In addition to being the political hub of the nation, the capital’s intellectual and cultural life is enhanced by the activities of the diplomatic corps, with representatives from over 120 countries located in the city. Inevitably ANU is a neighbour to several national institutions including the high court of Australia,…
Currently celebrating its golden jubilee year, GMU sited in close proximity to Washington DC, is noted for its highly acclaimed faculty of Pulitzer Prize winners and Nobel laureates, writes Reshma Ravishanker With enviable on-campus facilities, an awards-winning faculty and proximity to Washington DC, America’s political capital, George Mason University (GMU, estb.1972) is a nationally respected public higher education institution. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, GMU is noted for its highly acclaimed faculty of Pulitzer Prize winners and Nobel laureates. The university is ranked #67 among public varsities in the latest rankings of America’s Best Colleges 2022 of the US News and World Report. Moreover, GMU is an R1 (Research 1) institution certified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, USA. The first university in America to establish schools focused on information technology, engineering and computational sciences, GMU provides its 39,000 students from over 130 countries 211 degree programmes. Moreover, the university has four campuses in Virginia state and an overseas campus in Songdo, South Korea. Named after George Mason, one of the authors of the American Constitution and a widely acknowledged proponent of the Bill of Rights, GMU became an independent member of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s system of colleges and universities in 1972. Since then, it has rapidly expanded to ten schools and colleges offering a wide range of undergraduate, postgrad, and doctoral programmes. Washington. The rich and varied cultural, historical and education resources of America’s capital city have long boosted the reputation of universities sited in and around its periphery, and GMU is no exception. The famous Smithsonian Institute, national museums and memorials, the Library of Congress and other education resources of Washington DC are just a 30-minute drive from the main GMU campus. Its educational and historical treasures apart, the city also offers summer and autumn recreation facilities along the Potomac River and a lively nightlife. Fairfax. Closer home, the historic city of Fairfax (pop.24,146) beyond which the main campus is located, has a museum, visitors’ centre, downtown shops and fine restaurants, all set in a charming old-fashioned environment. An hour’s drive from the campus are scenic Shenandoah mountains with the Shenandoah river meandering through. While summers are warm and humid, winters are cold and snowy. Winter temperatures range between -30C-80C and summer 170C-300C. Campus facilities. GMU has four campuses in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The university’s sprawling 677-acre main campus fringing Fairfax hosts state-of-the-art academic buildings, several student residences and an extensive parking structure. Most of the university’s academic departments and student services are located on this campus. They include the refurbished Fenwick Library (1.5 million volumes), the 320,000 sq. ft Johnson Center (students’ union building); Center for the Arts (2,000-seat concert hall); the 180,000 sq. ft Long and Kimmy Nguyen Engineering Building; Exploratory Hall for science; an astronomy observatory and telescope; and an 88,900 sq. ft Art and Design Building. Sports facilities are equally impressive. They include a Recreation and Athletics Complex (RAC) with three gymnasiums, racquetball and squash courts, a two-storey…
Established in 2002, GTS-G has swiftly developed into a progressive CBSE-affiliated K-12 school ranked among the Top 25 in Delhi NCR in the EW India School Rankings 2021-22 writes Autar Nehru. Sited on a 10-acre state-of-the-art campus off the Delhi-Meerut Expressway in Ghaziabad (pop.2 million), Gurukul The School, Ghaziabad (GTS-G, estb.2002) has swiftly developed into a progressive 21st century school providing highly qualified teachers, tech-enabled pedagogies, rich sports and co-curricular education and excellent student learning outcomes. In the latest EW India School Rankings 2021-22, GTS-G is ranked among the Top 3 co-ed day schools of Ghaziabad and among the Top 25 in Delhi NCR. Affiliated with the Delhi-based CBSE, this 20-year-old school has an enrolment of 2,055 students tutored by 162 well-trained teachers. An engineering graduate of Pune’s Savitribai Phule University, Sachin Vats, founder-director of GTS-G, says the prime objective behind the school’s promotion two decades ago was to provide children of the fast-expanding city of Ghaziabad access to internationally benchmarked K-12 education. “During my school days, I had to travel 30 km daily to Delhi/Noida for good quality education. Years later, this memory prompted me to establish a school which would offer the best infrastructure, pedagogies and teachers. This pursuit of excellence combined with my philosophy of offering education blending ‘modernity with values’ has enabled us to develop GTS-G into a high-quality institution in a short span of time,” says Vats, who started GTS-G with a first batch of 50 students in 2002 under the aegis of Gurukul Education Society. Today, this school receives five admission applications for every seat in nursery. Vats is especially pleased with the school’s response during the Covid-19 pandemic prompted 82-weeks closure, which has earned GTS-G “great trust and appreciation” of its parents community. Immediately after the lockdown of schools was announced in March 2020, GTS-G switched to online platforms such as Google Classroom, Zoom and MS Teams to smoothly transition to digital teaching-learning. Simultaneously, the school’s 162 teachers received intensive training in online teaching-learning pedagogies and ICT (information communication technologies) utilisation. On average, the school’s teachers receive 300 hours of continuous professional development (CPD) annually. “The past two years have been a great learning experience with the school succeeding in developing highly effective online, offline and hybrid teaching-learning models. Our teachers ensured that children’s learning was never disrupted and provided full remedial learning support while our counselors supported students’ mental health and wellbeing,” says Vats. The school management and teachers’ commitment to ensuring learning continuity during the pandemic has paid off by way of excellent results in CBSE school-leaving exams. In the 2020-21 CBSE class XII boards, the GTS-G cohort averaged 92.89 percent and 88.95 percent in the class X board examination. To provide students balanced and integrated education, the school has generously invested in contemporary academic, co-curricular and sports education facilities. The thematically designed ten-acre campus houses a fully air-conditioned building with 93 classrooms equipped with interactive Smart boards supported by optical fibre high speed Internet connectivity; two libraries with 48,000 print…
This 30-year-old varsity with an enrolment of 50,000 students has consistently been ranked among Britain’s Top 15 for five years (2016- 2020) by the Guardian University Guide Sited in the West Midlands, Coventry University (CU, estb.1992) is a nationally respected public research higher ed institution providing undergrad and postgrad study programmes to 50,000 students including 20,000 from abroad. This 30-year-old varsity has consistently been ranked among Britain’s Top 15 for five years (2016-2020) by the Guardian University Guide. Moreover, in the UK’s latest Teaching Excellence Framework which assesses 134 higher education institutions under parameters of teaching quality, student satisfaction, student retention rates and placements, CU was awarded Gold rating. The history of CU harks back to 1843 with the establishment of Coventry College of Design which merged with the Lanchester College of Technology and Rugby College of Engineering Technology to morph into Lanchester Polytechnic in 1970. Subsequently in 1987, it was christened Coventry Polytechnic followed by grant of university status. Currently, the university’s four faculties — arts and humanities; engineering, environment and computing; health and life sciences and law and business schools — offer over 130 undergrad and 100 postgraduate study programmes. Despite the new Omicron variant of the novel Coronavirus causing a huge upsurge of Covid infections in the UK, the university is committed to offering “full-time students on most courses at least 10 hours of on-campus timetabled teaching and learning each week. On-campus sessions will be complemented by additional timetabled online teaching and learning”. Coventry. England’s ninth largest urban habitat, Coventry (pop.430,000) is reputed for its heritage and historic buildings. Prominent among them is the medieval Cathedral Church of St. Michael, aka Coventry Cathedral; Lunt Fort and the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum which hosts a rich collection of paintings, including of local heroine Lady Godiva. Sited on the banks of the River Sherbourne, Coventry boasts an award-winning indoor waterpark, the Coventry City Football Club, Coventry Blaze (hockey team), and semi-pro rugby league clubs. The city will host some events of the Commonwealth Games 2022. A popular shopping destination with retail parks in and around the city, Coventry is well-connected by road, rail and air with all major cities of the UK. London and Oxford are an hour and Birmingham 30 minutes away by train. Summer in Coventry is short and warm. Winters long, cold and windy. Temperatures range between 9°C-21°C in summer and 1°C-8°C in winter. Campus facilities. CU’s main campus sprawls over 33 acres in Coventry City Centre adjacent to Coventry Cathedral and the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum. The centrepiece of the campus is The Hub, which hosts the Coventry University Students’ Union, student support services, a bar/nightclub, and food outlets. Other campus landmarks include the Lanchester Library, Coventry University Technology Park, sports centre, Tank studio furbished with modern multimedia production equipment, spiritual, health and well-being centres, and a High Performance Engineering Centre. Its main city centre campus apart, the university has four other campuses — Coventry University London, CU Coventry, CU London and CU…
Promoted in 1999 by US-returned educationist the late Sudheer Phatak and his wife Vaidehi, this CBSE-affiliated school has acquired a good reputation for providing holistic ICT-enabled education rooted in Indian values -Paromita Sengupta Sited on a green 25-acre hillside campus in suburban Pune — Maharashtra’s fast-track industrial hub — the low-profile Millennium National School (MNS, estb.1999) is perhaps the country’s first school bags-free K-12 institution. Promoted in 1999 by US-returned educationist Sudheer Phatak and his wife Vaidehi under the aegis of the Pragatipath Educational Foundation, MNS admitted its first batch of 150 students in the millennium year. Since then, this formerly state but currently CBSE-affiliated school, has acquired a good reputation for providing holistic ICT-enabled education rooted in Indian values, to its 2,942 students mentored by 120 teachers. “Our institutional priorities are to provide a safe, secure, stress-free, school bags-free and technology-enabled learning environment for children through our hybrid Millennium Way curriculum. The objective is to establish a culture of learning and empathy within which all children develop essential competencies through a mix of activities — academics, sports, music, debate, language, wellness, arts and crafts among others. Our goal is to nurture a generation of creators, innovators, free thinkers and competent school-leavers equipped to succeed in life,” says 37-year-old Anvit Phatak, who took charge of the school after his parents were tragically killed in a car crash in 2011. A computer engineering graduate of the Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune, Anvit began his career at the blue-chip Texas Instruments, Bengaluru. However two years later in 2006, he relocated to Pune to design MNS’ pioneer ICT-enabled teaching-learning programme christened the MyShala e learning project. “We were among the first schools in Pune to upload a website and among the first batch of 200 schools shortlisted to be awarded an Atal Tinkering Lab by NITI Aayog to encourage a do-it yourself and self-learning culture,” says Anvit. Meanwhile to equip himself for his new vocation, he signed up for a Pune University’s bachelors followed by a Masters in education programme — “a very valuable experience”. The MNS management’s early investment in a robust ICT-enabled hybrid learning model has paid off by way of students’ performance in the CBSE class XII school-leaving examinations. In the pre-pandemic year 2018-19, of the 45 MNS students who wrote the exam, the average score was 81.32 percent with eight students averaging 90 percent-plus. In 2020- 21, the school’s cohort of 77 school-leavers averaged 87.21 percent with 32 averaging 90 percent-plus. MNS’ excellent academic record is enabled by steady investment in infrastructure upgradation and development. Academic facilities include 75 spacious and well-ventilated classrooms equipped with Smart boards and portable projectors. The school’s fully wi-fi campus also hosts three state-of-the-art science laboratories, two computer labs, and an AI (artificial intelligence) lab, soundproof dance and music rooms. A well-stocked library houses 20,245 books and subscribes to 22 periodicals and e-journals. MNS also offers students a day boarding programme which includes three meals and access to choice of sports and co-curricular education…
During the past 13 years since it admitted its first batch of 150 students, IVWS has steadily improved its reputation and is currently ranked #14 in Kolkata in the co-ed day schools category in the EW India School Rankings 2020-21 – Baishali Mukherjee Sited on a 1.4-acre campus in Kolkata (pop.14 million), Indus Valley World School (IVWS, estb.2008) is a CBSE-affiliated co-ed day school highly reputed in the City of Joy for providing high-quality K-12 education to its 1,930 students including 805 girl children, mentored by 140 teachers. During the past 13 years since it admitted its first batch of 150 students, it has steadily improved its reputation for delivery of progressive holistic education. In the latest EducationWorld India School Rankings 2020-21, IVWS is ranked #117 nationally and #14 in Kolkata in the co-ed day schools category. IVWS was promoted in 2008 by Sailesh Khaitan, chairman and managing director of the Khaitan chemicals and fertilizers group of companies which had earlier promoted the Bhagwati Devi Memorial International School (estb.1966) ranked #15 in Kolkata among co-ed day schools to provide globally benchmarked primary-secondary education. In 2019-20, IVWS was ranked for the first time by 12,213 EducationWorld sample respondents and awarded an India ranking of #250. Since then, this school has risen steadily in public esteem. Managing trustee Shankar Lal Gupta attributes this to the school’s emphasis on “sound values-based education on the foundations of humanitarianism and integrity and our focus on making students future-ready for careers of the 21st century”. “In IVWS, we nurture lifelong learners in a joyful environment that encourages students to develop their personalities and multiple intelligences. We also accord high importance to technology-aided learning to enable our students to meet the challenges of the 21st century. We ensure they grow up in a culturally diverse environment that fosters mutual respect and broadens their horizons to become global citizens,” says Amita Prasad, director of IVWS. An alumna of Lady Brabourne College, Kolkata and Jadavpur University, Prasad started her career in 1985 with the highly reputed Modern High School for Girls, Kolkata, and acquired rich teaching and admin experience in Loreto House, Middleton and The Heritage School, Kolkata, prior to being appointed director of IVWS in January 2019. Constructed by reputed Kolkata based firm Kothari & Associates, the IVWS management has provided students with a 14-acre campus hosting 609 plants within vertical gardens, 60 varieties of trees and 341 potted plants. With a built-up area of 5,662 sq. ft, its two academic wings house 109 fully-wired classrooms fitted with Smartboards, air-conditioned physics, chemistry, biology, computer, geography, home science, psychology, and mathematics laboratories. Moreover, the school’s four libraries house 22,000 learning resources including books, journals, CDs, DVDs and 88 magazine subscriptions. “Moreover, IVWS’ 140 teachers are highly qualified and well-trained to deliver a mix of traditional and experiential pedagogies to boost children’s learning outcomes,” says Prasad. In 2020, 61 of the 109 students who wrote the CBSE class X exam, and 20 of the 96 who wrote the class XII…
Currently, UoD’s ten schools offer a range of undergraduate and postgrad programmes to 15,000, including 3,000 international students from 145 countries worldwide. SCOTLAND, A COUNTRY (POP.5.5 MILLION) with its own parliament, which with England, Wales and Northern Ireland is known as the United Kingdom, has 15 well-reputed universities — Edinburgh, Glasgow, St. Andrews and Aberdeen among others. To this list, add the University of Dundee (UoD, estb.1967) which over the half-century past, has acquired an excellent reputation for teaching and research. A public research university, UoD is ranked #23 in the UK in The Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021, #28 in the Complete University Guide 2022 and #31 in the Guardian University Guide 2022. Moreover, it is ranked #33 among British universities for ‘overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2021. Founded as an undergrad college in 1881 with a handsome donation from the Baxter family of textile manufacturers, UoD was a constituent college of the University of St. Andrews for several decades. Following significant expansion, it was conferred independent university status in 1967 by royal charter. Currently, UoD’s ten schools — business, dentistry, education and social work, humanities, life sciences, medicine, health sciences, science and engineering, social sciences, and Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design — offer a range of undergrad and postgraduate progammes to 15,000 including 3,000 international students from 145 countries around the world. The faculty-student ratio is an enviable 1:14. Dundee. Set in an idyllic location on the banks of River Tay in coastal east Scotland, Dundee (pop.140,000) is a compact, cosmopolitan city. Hub of the global India-based jute industry of the 19th century, Dundee, with its other major industries, was known as the city of “jute, jam and journalism”. Over the past three decades, it has evolved into an epicentre of the biomedical and new technologies industries and now accounts for 10 percent of the UK’s digital entertainment industry, including mobile apps development and gaming. In 2014, Dundee was felicitated by the United Nations as the UK’s first Unesco City of Design for its diverse contributions to medical research and innovative video games industry. As in the rest of lowland Scotland, Dundee’s climate is oceanic. Summers are warm (18o C) and cloudy and winters long and cold (-1o C) with substantial annual rainfall. It is well connected by road and rail with Glasgow and Edinburgh. Campus facilities. The university’s main campus is sited in upscale West End in proximity to the city’s major cultural attractions, popular restaurants and transport hubs. Over the past half century after it was conferred university status, UoD has rapidly expanded from a mere four buildings in the 1960s to over 50 currently. The buildings in the heart of the university form the Geddes Quadrangle. They include the Carnegie, Harris and Peters Buildings constructed in 1909 when this institution was a college of the University of St. Andrews. Other campus landmarks include the Sir James Black Centre (life sciences), Scrymgeour Building (law school), Queen Mother…
The third oldest in Britain after Oxford and Cambridge, this low-profile university has acquired an enviable global reputation for higher education excellence, writes Reshma Ravishanker Sited in the eponymous historic city of north-east England, the low-profile Durham University (estb.1832) has acquired an enviable global reputation for higher education excellence. The Guardian University Guide 2021 ranks it #4 in the UK while in the QS World University Rankings 2022 Durham is ranked #82 worldwide. Moreover, for 16 subjects it is ranked in the Top 100 of QS World Rankings by Subject 2021 with archaeology rank #4 and theology and religion #5. Founded 189 years ago, Durham is the third oldest university in Britain after Oxford and Cambridge and like them is a collegiate institution, i.e, every student is admitted into one of its 17 colleges — Collingwood, Grey, Hatfield, John Snow, Josephine Butler, St. Aidan’s, St. Chad’s, St. Cuthbert’s Society, College of St. Hilda and St. Bede, St. John’s, St. Mary’s, South, Stephenson, Trevelyan, University, Ustinov and Van Mildert. All these colleges are residential and teaching and research institutions. Currently, the university’s 26 departments/schools offer over 200 undergraduate and 100 postgrad degree programmes to 20,268 students from 130 countries. Notable alumni include former England test cricketers Andrew Strauss and Nasser Hussain, former rugby player Will Carling, journalist Shelagh Fogarty and actor-comedian Nick Mohammed. Durham. Widely acknowledged as the historic capital of north-east England, Durham (pop.423,000) is an important centre of culture and learning, and not least, a corner of England endowed with nature’s bounty. The city is replete with Gothic-style churches and cathedrals. The most important among them is Durham Cathedral, billed as one of the architectural marvels of Europe. Constructed in 1093 it is the shrine of St. Cuthbert and together with Durham Castle is a designated Unesco World Heritage Site. Moreover, its botanical gardens, parks and River Wear which winds through the city, offer an invariably uplifting experience of ancient cathedrals and pleasant walkways. Durham is three hours from London and two hours by train from Edinburgh. Summers are warm (130C) and winters cold (50C). Campus facilities. The university’s colleges are spread across two campuses — Durham City and the Queen’s Campus in Stockton-on-Tees (28 km from Durham). The main Durham campus is an integral part of the city. Most arts and science faculties and ‘peninsular colleges’ are set among shops and residences close to the city centre. Among colleges, University College, popularly known as ‘Castle’ is the oldest and shares its campus with the historic Durham and St. Cuthbert cathedrals. The hill colleges are sited on an elevated slope, a 15-minute walk from city centre. Since Durham is a compact habitat with excellent pedestrian access to all parts, lecture halls, tutorials, laboratories and libraries are a short often picturesque five-15 minutes walk from students halls of residence. Inaugurated in 1992, the Stockton campus offers state-of-the-art facilities including technology enabled classrooms, modern library and common areas for students. It hosts the Wolfson Research Institute and the Durham University International…
The outcome of its founder Joginder Mann’s vision to promote a world-class residential school in the national capital, TMS is ranked among India’s Top 10 co-ed day-cum-boarding schools in the EW India School Rankings 2020-21, writes Autar Nehru Sited on a pristine green 20-acre campus in Holambi Khurd, a village 25 km from the heart of the national capital, The Mann School (TMS, estb.1989) has developed an excellent reputation for providing children high-quality day-cum-boarding school education. In the latest EducationWorld India School Rankings 2020-21, TMS is ranked among India’s Top 10 co-ed day-cum-boarding schools and #6 in Delhi NCR. A member institution of the Indian Public Schools Conference (IPSC, estb.1939), an exclusive fraternity of 80 premier boarding schools countrywide, the CBSE-affiliated TMS has an enrolment of 1,058 students including 200 boarders mentored by 65 teachers, on its muster rolls. The growth and development of TMS into a top-ranked school is the outcome of founder Joginder Mann’s vision to promote an internationally benchmarked residential school in West Delhi. An alumnus of the wholly-residential Birla Public School (BPS), Pilani and Delhi University, Mann “absolutely loved” his own boarding school experience and aspired to provide his students an even better experience of a “world-class boarding school”. “I was a boarder at BPS-Pilani from age five until graduation and derived great benefit and nurturance from the excellent pastoral care and holistic education I received at BPS-P. Following keen awareness that Delhi lacked a genuine boarding school which provided excellent co-curricular, sports and all-round education, over three decades ago I took the plunge and promoted my dream school offering a blend of boarding and day school education,” recalls Mann, who worked with the Taj Group of hotels for nine years before transforming into a full-time educationist. A passionate advocate of liberal, well-rounded boarding school education, Mann is also author of an inspiring book titled Let’s Pray Before our Meal (2010). Given this history of commitment to a cause, it’s unsurprising that TMS provides its 1,058 including 395 girl children, an excellent blend of academics, sports and co-curricular education. A well-designed academic programme delivered through child-centred IT-enabled pedagogies is supplemented with 18 sports and 38 co-curricular activities. Sports facilities include a 400 metre athletics track, swimming pool, Deco synthetic tennis courts, a roller skating rink, football and cricket fields, billiards room, mini-golf and horse-riding. The school’s equestrian team has won several state and national competitions and its NCC student cadets have participated in Republic Day and Independence Day parades. The co-curricular menu features Indian/Western music and dance, school band and orchestra, debate, quiz, theatre, trekking among other character-building activities. To maintain balance, the school management has also invested substantial resources in providing enabling academic facilities which include 23 Smart classrooms, 12 well-equipped science, maths, computer, and geography labs, an Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) and a unique celestial lab housing one of the largest telescopes of Delhi NCR. Other facilities include a library stocked with 25,841 titles, open-air amphitheatre, 300-seat auditorium, separate residential blocks for boys and…
Widely acknowledged as one of the sixth continent’s premier teaching and research universities, CU has established a stellar reputation for exporting its higher education around the world, writes Reshma Ravishanker Sited on a sprawling 286-acre campus in Perth, the nearest Australian city to Asia, Curtin University (CU, estb.1966) is widely acknowledged as one of the sixth continent’s premier teaching and research universities. In the latest QS World University Rankings 2022, this 54-year-old varsity is ranked among Australia’s Top 15 and among the Top 200 universities worldwide. Notably, it is ranked #2 worldwide for its mineral and mining engineering programme in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021. Beginning its innings as the Curtin University of Technology and Western Australian Institute of Technology, CU was conferred university status by the Western Australia parliament in 1986 and named after John Curtin (1885-1945), former prime minister of Oz. Currently, the university offers a wide range of undergraduate, postgrad and doctoral programmes in its faculties of aboriginal studies; business and law; health sciences; humanities; science and engineering to over 50,000 students mentored by 3,000 faculty and staff. Within Australia, CU has established a stellar reputation for exporting Oz higher education around the world. It has established full-fledged offshore campuses in Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai, and Mauritius. In addition, it has signed academic agreements with more than 80 international partner institutions in 20 countries. Perth. The admin capital of Western Australia, Perth is the country’s gateway to South-east and North-east Asia and is in the same time zone as Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. With a small population of 1.9 million, it provides a clean and safe academic environment with more affordable living costs than metro cities such as Melbourne and Sydney. The city is scenically sited on the River Swan between the Indian Ocean and the Darling Range of mountains and hosts a strong economy with low levels of unemployment. It also offers hundreds of restaurants and cafes, parks, cinemas, nightclubs and music venues as well as great shopping to students and citizens. Moreover, with its Mediterranean climate of hot dry summers and mild winters, this coastal city is perfect for sports and leisure pursuits and offers a long menu including tennis, golf, whale watching and sailing. Campus facilities. CU is spread across five campuses in Western Australia. Its largest campus is sited on 286 acres in the Perth suburb of Bentley, 10 km from city centre. Set in landscaped gardens, the campus offers state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories, libraries, research centres and excellent sports and recreation facilities to students. “Everything you need is within easy walking distance. There is a world-class art gallery, travel agencies, full banking facilities, bookshop, computer shop, sports store, childcare facilities and many active sports clubs and societies,” says a university spokesperson. Inevitably in field sports, track and field games and aquatics sports-obsessed Oz, CU’s sports facilities are excellent. They include the Edinburgh sports pavilion, a hockey stadium, well-equipped gymnasia, badminton, tennis, basketball and netball courts. Miscellaneous facilities include cafes and…
Promoted in 1991 by businessman and philanthropist, Niranjanlal Dalmia, NLDHS is ranked among top dozen co-ed day schools of Maharashtra in the EducationWorld India School Rankings 2020-21, writes Dipta Joshi Located in Mumbai’s satellite city of Thane, over the past three decades, N.L. Dalmia High School (NLDHS, estb.1991) has acquired a good reputation for providing holistic values-based English-medium education in a conducive teaching-learning environment. Affiliated with the Delhi-based Council of the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), this co-ed day school offers K-12 education to 3,000 students mentored by 152 teachers. In the latest EducationWorld India School Rankings 2020-21, NLDHS is ranked #12 in Maharashtra (pop.112 million) and #2 in Thane district. Moreover, the school was also awarded a special prize for social impact by an EW Grand Jury. Promoted by the N.L. Dalmia Educational Society (NLDES, estb.1982), NLDHS is the outcome of founder-chairman Niranjanlal Dalmia’s vision to provide education to serve the public. An alumnus of Hindu College, Delhi freedom fighter, and businessman-philanthropist, Dalmia (1915-2005) articulated the school’s mission as providing quality English-medium education enabled by world-class infrastructure to nurture the innate potential of children and develop global citizens with Indian values. Since then, the society has added two more institutions — the N.L. Dalmia Institute of Management Studies and Research (estb.1995) and the N.L. Dalmia College of Arts, Commerce and Science (2018). Together they educate 4,500 children and youth. “The motto of our school — ‘In Pursuit of Excellence’ — encapsulates our founder’s belief that high quality education awakens the innate potential of all children,” says Seema Saini, an alumna of Mumbai University and Xavier University, USA. Former head of the economics department, APS-Eicher Good Earth Foundation, Alwar and former HRD director of N.L. Dalmia Educational Society, Saini was appointed principal of NLDHS in 2009 and CEO of NLDES in 2016. Spread over 1.21 acres, the school’s capital-intensive infrastructure has been consistently upgraded to international standards. All 55 classrooms in its six-storey main block are equipped with interactive smart boards integrating latest digital technologies to improve the learning experience of students. The classrooms are also STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) ready. Moreover, teacher training and professional development is an important priority of the NLDHS management. An outstanding feature of the compact NLDHS campus is the heavy investment the school’s promoters/management has made in enabling infrastructure. Its 55 fully-wired classrooms apart, the school offers students access to three science and two computer labs, a fully-equipped conference room, a human resource development centre to provide continuous training and development programmes for teachers and admin staff and a multi-activity hall for co-curricular music, yoga, dance and art education. The school also boasts four seminar halls with an aggregate seating capacity of 688 and an auditorium with equivalent capacity. Moreover, the library houses 14,600 print volumes and 72 computer terminals for online reading and connectivity. This enabling learning environment for students and faculty and ready acceptance of teaching-learning innovations such as flipped classrooms, group discussions, Socratic questioning, role play, peer learning,…
Among India’s unique budget private schools which have emerged as alternatives to dysfunctional government schools, MIS, ranked India’s #1 BPS for three years (2015-17) by EducationWorld, has emerged as a model institution, writes Autar Nehru Established in 2002 to provide affordably-priced English-medium education to children of working-class parents living in the ‘regularised unauthorised’ housing colonies of West Delhi, during the past two decades Muni International School (MIS) has developed into the country’s role model budget private school (BPS). Promoted by former teachers and idealist entrepreneurs as alternatives to dysfunctional government schools defined by crumbling buildings, chronic teacher truancy, English language aversion and rock-bottom learning outcomes, the number of BPS countrywide has ballooned to an estimated 400,000 with a massive enrolment of 60 million children. In this category of primary-secondaries fashioned after private English-medium schools, MIS has emerged as a model institution. In the annual EducationWorld India School Rankings (EWISR) which rank BPS separately inter se, MIS was ranked #1 for three years (2015-2017). In the latest EWISR 2020-21, MIS is ranked #2 in India and #1 in Delhi NCR. Credit for nurturing MIS into the country’s foremost BPS is unanimously given to its visionary and can-do founder-director Ashok Thakur, a former Indian Army infantryman (1984-1992) who after early retirement promoted MIS with his life savings of Rs.1.40 lakh and a first batch of 26 children. “The prime objectives of MIS are to develop the latent potential of each child and provide English-medium primary-secondary education to children of working-class households and enable them to break out of the cycle of poverty and illiteracy. During the past 18 years since MIS was founded, we have demonstrated that good quality education can be provided to the poor at prices they can afford. By reviving India’s ancient tradition of peer-to-peer learning, we have been able to improve children’s learning outcomes dramatically. In MIS, we believe that grand buildings and infrastructure and highly qualified teachers are not necessary to provide quality K-X education,” says Thakur. According to Thakur, the school’s peer learning pedagogy with teachers discharging the role of facilitators, has recorded extraordinary academic results from children, the majority of them first generation learners with negligible academic support at home. In the academic year 2019, all MIS students who wrote the class X exam of the Central Board of Secondary Education cleared the testing exams of the country’s largest pan-India schools board with an average score of 75 percent. Uniquely in 2013, MIS was selected by the Japanese embassy in New Delhi for a student exchange programme with schools in Japan. Moreover in 2015, the US-based Ashoka Foundation (estb.1980) conferred its Changemaker School encomium on MIS. “Our peer-learning system encourages children to learn collaboratively, giving and receiving feedback and continuously measure each other’s progress. This is supplemented by our IPDS (inherent potential discovery system), under which students are periodically tested by their teachers who provide supplementary support and remedial education if required,” explains Thakur. Another distinguishing feature of the MIS curriculum is that every student…
One of the largest universities in America’s most populous state, the scenically sited CSULB has an aggregate enrolment of 39,360 students from over 100 countries worldwide, writes Reshma Ravishankar A constituent institution of the 23-campus California state public higher education system, California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is one of the largest universities in America’s most populous state (40 million) with an aggregate enrollment of 39,360 students from over 100 countries worldwide. The Wall Street Journal and the Times Higher Education rank CSULB #4 for campus student diversity. Sprawled across 322 acres in the coastal city of Long Beach, CSULB is also ranked among America’s Top 10 public universities for value for money by Money magazine. Moreover, the US News & World Report routinely ranks it among the Top 10 most-applied-to universities of USA. Founded in 1949 as the Los Angeles-Orange County State College, it was awarded university status in 1972. Currently, its eight colleges — arts, business, education, engineering, health and human services, liberal arts, natural sciences and mathematics, professional and international education — provide over 147 undergraduate, postgrad and doctoral degree programmes to 39,360 students mentored by 2,372 faculty. Notable CSULB alumni include acclaimed Hollywood filmmaker Steven Spielberg, J.F. Lawton, screenwriter of the Hollywood blockbuster Pretty Woman, and Tara Cross-Battle, a former Olympic women’s volleyball player. Long Beach. Sited on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, Long Beach (pop. 467,000) is a coastal city famous for its scenic waterfronts, RMS Queen Mary (museum ship moored in its Queensway Bay), Aquarium of the Pacific and other sea-side attractions. The sixth largest city of California, Long Beach is the second busiest container terminal in the US and among the world’s largest shipping ports. A short drive (32 km) from downtown Los Angeles, it offers world-class dining, shopping and recreation experiences. The weather is Mediterranean — summers are warm and humid and the winters mild to warm with occasional rainfall. Campus facilities. A mere 5 km from the Pacific shoreline, the CSULB campus in typical American-style sprawls across 322 green acres and hosts state-of-the-art academic, research, sports and recreation facilities. The natural park campus houses 84 buildings of minimalist design that provide excellent teaching-learning facilities. The allure of the campus owes much to the 3,200 Helen Borchers flowering peach trees donated by the citizens of Long Beach, and numerous works of art and sculpture on the varsity grounds. Campus landmarks include the University Art Museum, the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Gardens, the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, Walter Pyramids and University Student Union Building. Moreover, the six-storey CSULB library hosts 1.1 million printed volumes and offers seating to 4,000 students. Inevitably, sports and recreation facilities are extensive and impressive. They include the cobalt-blue Walter Pyramid (nine volleyball courts or three full basketball courts); Blair Field (one of America’s best amateur baseball arenas); 400 m all-weather Jack Rose Track; 500-seat Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center; Rhodes Tennis Center (12 courts); 2,000-seat George Allen Field (women’s soccer); LBSU Sand Courts (beach volleyball); 500-seat LBSU…
Its rigorous academic programmes and high-quality research have earned this prosperous island nation’s oldest university the reputation of Asia’s premier higher education institution – Dipta Joshi The National University of Singapore (NUS, estb.1905) is the island nation’s oldest and most internationally reputed higher education institution. Its rigorous academic programmes and high-quality research have earned it the reputation of the premier centre of higher education in Asia. In the QS World University Rankings 2021 NUS is ranked #11, while the Times Higher Education ranks it #25 in its WUR 2021. Spread across three contemporary campuses in Singapore, NUS has also established 11 overseas colleges in China (Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing), Israel, Sweden (Stockholm), United States (Silicon Valley and New York), Canada (Toronto), Switzerland (Lausanne) and Germany (Munich). Founded in 1905 as a modest medical school by a group of local businessmen, this 115-year-old institution has changed hands (and names) several times before the National University of Singapore was established following the merger of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University in 1980. NUS is especially reputed for its high-impact research in engineering, social sciences, natural science, life sciences and biomedicine. It hosts an awesome 29 research institutes and three of Singapore’s five Research Centres of Excellence. Currently, NUS’ 17 multi-disciplinary colleges offer 300 undergraduate and postgrad programmes to 43,885 students from over 100 countries mentored by 2,314 faculty. Notable alumni include Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the United Nations; Benjamin Sheares, former president of Singapore, and Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organisation, among others. To check the spread of the still rampaging Covid-19 pandemic, NUS currently provides a mix of online and offline classes to students. Singapore. Once a British colony and untidy port, over the past five decades since it became a politically independent island nation, Singapore (pop.5.69 million) has miraculously metamorphosed into Southeast Asia’s most prosperous, modern and well-administered country notable for civic discipline and high per capita income (US $92,270). Also South-east Asia’s business and financial nerve centre, it boasts an excellent public transport system and public parks, museums, restaurants, nightclubs and tourist destinations including the verdant Botanic Gardens — a Unesco World Heritage site. Singapore’s climate is tropical — warm and wet most of the year. December is the coolest month and May the warmest with average temperatures ranging between 220-33o celsius. English is the language of administration, business and technology. Other languages spoken are Malay, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil. Campus facilities. In Singapore, NUS sprawls across three campuses — Kent Ridge, Bukit Timah and Outram — all set amid green groves. The Bukit Timah campus is sited contiguous to the Botanic Gardens and Outram campus adjacent to Fort Canning Park. The main Kent Ridge campus is spread across 150 hectares and houses the university’s academic, research and admin buildings, student residence halls, sports and other recreational facilities. This campus is linked by the College Link Bridge to University Town (UTown) which hosts the Yale-NUS College, Singapore’s first fully residential liberal arts college. The Bukit…
