Promoted in 2018, this CBSE-affiliated school has established a national reputation for providing holistic, values-based K-10 education to its 1,876 students mentored by 79 teachers

St. Karen’s campus: national reputation

Edward Galstaun

Dr. Manisha Lall

The eastern state of Bihar (pop.134 million), which recently elected a new legislative assembly, regularly hits the headlines for socio-economic backwardness. Yet Patna, the state’s admin capital, hosts St. Karen’s Collegiate School (SKCS, estb.2018) which has established a national reputation for providing holistic, values-based K-10 education focused on critical and creative thinking, and communication skills to its 1,876 students instructed by 79 teachers. Recently, this CBSE-affiliated co-ed day school was adjudged the country’s #1 Best Emerging Leader School by an EducationWorld Grand Jury.

SKCS was promoted eight years ago as a minority Anglo-Indian Christian institution by visionary educationists  Donald Patrick Galstaun and wife Leslie Barbara, under the aegis of the Anglo-Indian Educational Society of St. Karen’s (regstd: 1986). The society manages four schools including two K-12 and one middle school in Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh). SKCS’ name is derived from a 1952 Marie Lyons Killilea novel Karen, an inspiring true story on the author’s daughter born with cerebral palsy.

“At SKCS, our mission is to nurture intellectually competent, emotionally balanced and socially conscious students with solid foundation in discipline and honesty. Our whole-child focused pedagogies blend academic mastery, creativity, values, and emotional intelligence. Our teaching-learning process encourages curiosity, collaboration, and confidence, ensuring that every Karenite learns with the head, heart, and hand,” says Dr. Manisha Lall, awarded a Ph D in zoology by Delhi University, and has over a decade of teaching and admin experience at Magadh Mahila College, Patna University where she served as assistant professor prior to her appointment as principal of SKCS in 2018.  “Currently, our focus is on competency-based learning, improving students’ handwriting and enhancing their creative writing skills and vocabulary,” adds Lall.

According to Lall, SKCS’ three-acre campus is an “outdoor learning ecosystem” where students engage in interdisciplinary projects, connecting concepts across subjects and applying them to real-world problems to develop critical, creative thinking and problem-solving skills. For teachers to remain abreast of global best practices, continuous professional development is encouraged through conclaves and regular 30-day in-house and CBSE training workshops.

The school’s holistic education focus and student-centric pedagogies have paid rich dividends. Of the 272 students who wrote the CBSE class X board exam in February 2025, 40 averaged above 90 percent with the school topper averaging 96.2 percent.

Apart from progressive pedagogies, rigorous curriculum and well-trained teachers, teaching-learning is enabled by impressive infrastructure. The school campus houses 80 spacious classrooms, activity rooms, six well-equipped laboratories including separate labs for computer science, maths, language and composite science, and three libraries with an aggregate 10,000 volumes. Other enabling campus facilities include special rooms for behaviour counselling, career guidance, music, sports, art, as also an auditory-sensory room for kindergarten children, a well-equipped infirmary, and a state-of-the-art auditorium.

SKCS’ sports infrastructure includes a well-equipped indoor sports arena and ground for field sports. Co-curricular education including environment, debate, art, music and editorial hobby club activities are also accorded high importance and supported by community service initiatives including annual visits to NGOs educating underprivileged girl children. Moreover, students are encouraged to showcase their talents at the school’s annual spring camp ‘Meraki’ and compete in inter-school competitions. The school’s management also organises educational tours including global exposure programmes through the online V-Yatra programme.

“Our future plan is to invest in state-of-the-art sports facilities including a swimming pool, basketball and badminton courts, a football field and a running track. I strongly believe our nation can compete globally only if we can nurture sporting talent from youngest age. In this area, we still have a long way to go,” says joint director Edward Galstaun.

ADMISSION & FEES

St. Karen’s Collegiate School, Jaitipur, Patna is a K-10 CBSE-affiliated co-ed day school. Admission into nursery till class VI begins in December. For other classes it is subject to vacancies.

Tuition fees (annual): Rs.39,600-50,400

For further information, contact: 7739762829

Email: stkarenscollegiateschool@gmail.com