EducationWorld September 2024

Letter from the Editor

Since the annual EducationWorld India School Rankings were launched in 2007, they have evolved into the world’s — yes, world’s largest — schools rankings survey. Yet instead of celebrating this Indian achievement, the general reaction is calculated indifference and resentment. Even though EW was launched way back in 1999, politicians and babus in Delhi and […]

Supreme Court Must Exercise Power

There is much that’s admirable about India’s free and independent judiciary. Although it’s commonly accepted that the lower judiciary comprising the district, city, civil, family and magistrates courts is in disarray, learned judgements delivered by the country’s metropolitan high and Supreme Courts are usually praiseworthy for their fierce independence, reasoning and academic excellence. The descriptive […]

Smart humble farmers

Although ex facie they are modest, humble souls, India’s rural politicians possess a native cunning and smarts difficult to emulate. True, in the early years after independence, lordly zamindars — beneficiaries of the Permanent Settlement negotiated with grandees of the British Raj under which in consideration for annuities the former were granted zamindaris, the right […]

History agnostic LoP

Collective madness best describes successful opposition resulting in the withdrawal of a public advertisement issued by UPSC (Union Public Services Commission) on August 17, inviting applications for 45 professionals in industry, academia and other vocations to serve with the Central government on short three-five year contracts.

Lateral entry of highly qualified and experienced professionals from industry […]

Delhi: Unconvincing rankings

Ditsa Bhattacharya (Delhi)

NIRF Rankings: patent prejudice

The ninth edition of the nirf (National Institutional Ranking Framework) 2024 released by the Union education ministry on August 12 has generated considerable excitement in some higher education institutions (HEIs), especially government colleges and universities. Several low-profile universities which have been awarded high rank in NIRF […]

Tamil Nadu: Imminent constitutional crisis

Shivani Chaturvedi (Chennai)

Poyyamozhi: installments withheld

In a reaction to the dmk government’s refusal to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and writing its own State Education Policy (SEP) under the guidelines of the Justice Murugesan Committee which submitted a 550-page draft to the state government on July 1, the BJP-led NDA […]

Karnataka: Private schools revolt

Reshma Ravishanker (Bengaluru)

KPMTCC protest. D. Shashi Kumar (centre)

Unable or unwilling to improve infrastructure and/or learning outcomes in the state’s 49,679 government schools, officials of Karnataka’s education ministry have continuously targeted the state’s 19,650 private schools for alleged violation of rules and regulations under a plethora of Acts of Parliament (RTE Act, […]

West Bengal: End beginning

Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata)

The horrific rape and murder of a second year postgrad trainee doctor on August 9, inside the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata (estb.1886), which ironically hosted India’s first practicing woman medical practitioner (Kadambini Bose Ganguly), has rocked Kolkata and the medical practitioners’ profession countrywide.

The 31-year-old woman doctor was resting […]

Experts react to cancellation of board exams

They said it

“Every day when I pick up the newspaper there is some incident… Some women have been assaulted. It could be a college student, a child, or a middle-aged lady. (There must be) something wrong with Indian men if we can’t address this problem… This goes back forever but is now talked about since the Nirbhaya […]

19th Anniversary Essay

NEET-UG 2024: Deep rot symptom

Sudheendra Kulkarni

– Sudheendra Kulkarni is a former aide of prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1999-2004) and currently founder, Forum for South Asia.
Prime minister Modi is likely to meet China’s President Xi Jingping at the BRICS Summit in Russia on October 22-24. They should sieze the moment to restore ancient harmonious relations

The […]

Education Notes

Delhi
Fees hike protest
New Delhi, August 5. Delhi University’s top-ranked college Miranda House (estb.1948) raised its hostel fees for students by Rs 6,000 per semester — from Rs.27,090 to Rs.33,090 for the first semester (July-December) and from Rs.26,750 to Rs.32,750 for the second (January-May).
In a social media post the Student Federation of India […]

Education Briefs

Zamit’s skilling drive
New Delhi, August 13. The India subsidiary of the UK-based Zamit, an edtech platform, claims to have empowered 59,000 students and 1,333 educators in India through its innovative e-learning solutions focused on skills development.

According to a company statement, Zamit Quotient (ZQ), an AI-driven tool that assesses 60 future-readiness skills across nine dimensions, […]

EducationWorld India’s Best Co-ed Day schools 2024-25

When children start learning together from young age, male children in particular, learn the virtues of empathy, respect and gender egalitarianism from their early years. Therefore it is a sign of progress that the league table of co-ed day schools — of sufficiently high repute to be ranked — is the longest in EWISR 2024-25 […]

Lessons From Bangladesh Meltdown

The swift fall of the seemingly impregnable Sheikh Hasina government in neighbouring Bangladesh, and her dramatic flight to New Delhi to escape rampaging mobs in Dhaka, offers several important lessons for India. Perhaps for all developing countries where constitutional checks and balances are not as well developed as in older democracies.

First it’s important to note […]

EducationWorld India School Rankings EWISR 2024-25 (Part 1)

This year the field interviews and market research have been conducted by the Bengaluru-based AZ Research Partners which over the past two decades has established an excellent reputation for rigorous market research for clients in India and abroad

Even though public K-12 education in post-independence India was foolishly neglected by omniscient central planners and shallow […]

EW Vintage legacy Co-ed Day Schools Rankings 2024-25

“I am delighted that CAJCS has succeeded in maintaining its #1 position. I attribute our consistent top rank to the hard work and commitment of our heads and teachers who ensure that our standards of excellence are not only maintained but constantly reinforced and improved. We are one of few schools to offer curricula […]

EducationWorld India’s Best Day-cum-Boarding Schools 2024-25

Usually sited in green belt peripheries of India’s ill-planned metropolitan cities, day-cum-boarding schools are popular with high-income households in road-traffic choked metros. Moreover they are invariably co-educational, sparing siblings pain of separation.

Emerald Heights’ Siddharth Singh (centre): consistent #1

SAI International’s Silpi Sahoo: excellent foundation

Day-cum-boarding schools which provide the advantage […]

EW India’s Best Vintage Legacy Day-cum-Boarding Schools 2024-25

“I am delighted that Daly College has retained its #1 ranking in the prestigious EW special category of vintage day-cum-boarding schools. I have been principal here for just over two years and several new initiatives that have been introduced are proving very successful. To improve under the critical parameter of teacher competence, apart form […]

EducationWorld India’s Top-Ranked Girls Day Schools 2024-25

In a still largely conservative and patriarchal society where gender discrimination is rife, for cultural, theological and safety reasons, a sizeable number of parents prefer to enrol their girl children in all-girls school.

Neera Singh (centre) & RKKGPS students: motivational top rank

Even though the majority of newly promoted schools in the country […]

EW Vintage Legacy Girls Day Schools Rankings 2024-25

“This is great news. We are delighted that St. Mary’s School, Pune has retained its #1 rank as India’s and Maharashtra’s #1 vintage girls day school. It provides a sense of fulfillment for all the effort that our teachers and staff have invested in sustaining our growth and development over the past year. We […]

EducationWorld India’s Best Boys Day Schools 2024-25

With most schools promoted in the new millennium being of mixed gender and some vintage all-boys schools going co-ed, the league table of boys schools is static at 30. Nevertheless some all-boys institutions enjoy king-size national reputations

Campion, Mumbai’s Dr. Francis Swamy (centre left): second rank stimulus

The league table of all-boys day schools […]

EW Vintage Legacy Boys Day Schools Rankings 2024-25

“This top rank awarded to St. Mary’s, Mazgaon after I was appointed principal following 17 years service in rural areas of Maharashtra , gives me great joy and satisfaction. I am immensely grateful to the Lord that he has blessed our school with a great team of teachers and staff. This wouldn’t have been […]

Parameters of Excellence: India’s Top 10 Day Schools 2024-25

Vidya Mandir Sr Sec School, Mylapore, Chennai students: academic reputation #1

To compile the 2023-24 league tables of day schools — co-ed, boys, girls and day-cum-boarding — 18,928 respondents comprising parents, principals, teachers and senior students were persuaded to rate them under 14 parameters or attributes. On the reasoning that there is more […]

Parameters of Excellence: India’s Top 10 Vintage Legacy Day Schools 2024-25

Bai Avabai Framji Petit Girls High School, Mumbai: community service #1

To compile the 2024-25 league tables of all vintage legacy day schools — co-ed, boys, girls and day-cum-boarding — 8,700 respondents comprising parents of school going students, faculty, educators & counsellors were persuaded to rate them on 15 parameters or attributes. On […]

Reclaiming mind share of India’s youth

Yogi Kochhar

— Yogi Kochhar is the Dharamshala-based former Director of Microsoft India and currently founder of YOL Happiness Foundation

Social and emotional learning is being removed from the human psyche as minds are being colonised by social media. Minds worldwide are being consumed in short 2-3 second bursts

The country’s politicians and leaders, […]

Forgotten heroes

The Last Heroes: Foot Soldiers of Indian Freedom
P. Sainath
penguin books
Rs.499
Pages 256

A valiant attempt to tell the stories of 15 unsung freedom fighters of exceptional courage who have been almost expunged from the narrative of the freedom struggle

As India commemorates 75 years of independence, Sainath’s Last Heroes cuts to the heart […]

Ecology conservation primer

A Walk up the Hill: Living with People & Nature
Madhav Gadgil
Penguin Random House
Rs.582
Pages 424

This autobiography is not restricted to environment degradation. It also addresses equitable resources distribution & sustainable livelihoods

One of India’s pioneer ecologists, author, academic and founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences, a research forum of the top-ranked […]

Mailbox

Shocking neglect
Congratulations for a well-researched cover story ‘Skilling , reskilling, upskilling fever raging countrywide’ (EW August) and informative graphics on the progress report of government skilling schemes thus far.Yet it’s a moot point whether skills education can be provided to a 560 million-strong workforce in quick time. I agree with […]

Hindenburg’s media chorus

In its second offensive in India, the US-based Hindenburg, a self-confessed short-seller ‘research firm’ of no fixed address and five employees, has targeted Madhavi Buch, the first private sector and woman CEO of SEBI (Securities & Exchange Board of India). She is allegedly involved with an offshore investment fund connected with Vinod Adani, elder brother […]

CISCE State Tennis Tournament at Sarala Birla Academy, Bangalore

The month of August saw Sarala Birla Academy hosting the CISCE State Tennis Tournament. It was quite a gala affair spread over three days, with more than 150 boys and girls from 38 schools participating in the tournament. There were also more than 100 Coaches, Managers, Officials and Volunteers to ensure a smooth, […]

Building a Culture of Care for a Responsive Learning Environment

A Thought Leadership Perspective from CHIREC International School

At CHIREC International School, we believe that true education is more than just academic success. A student’s ability to learn and grow is proportionate to their overall well-being, safety, assurance, and sense of belonging. In today’s world, where children face numerous challenges both inside and outside […]