Hindustan Times - C fore Top Schools Survey
2012
top schools HINDUSTAN TIMES-C FORE SURVEY 2012
A guide for
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f a road takes too many turns, the best of us get lost. Welcome to Hindustan Times’e-book on Top School Survey 2012, the most credible reference guide on schools. This annual survey, our fourth, done in collaboration with the research agency C fore, is an extensively researched educational product brought out every year that is conducted for Delhi and the National Capital Region with the objective of helping parents negotiate the maze-like, and somewhat confounding, process of choosing, applying and attempting to get their wards admitted to schools in the area. The reports that accompany the Top Ten rankings are published in Hindustan Times. But what is exclusive to the e-book is the ranking of schools vis -vis each of the 14 parameters that we grade schools on. For the first time, we have provided an overall ranking for the region -- one that encompasses schools in all of the Delhi-NCR area: the six zones in Delhi and the adjoining cities of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida. Our Top Schools Survey has also focussed on various issues that affect our schools in the region, be it the new Right to Education law, the plight of government schools or the increasing threat of cyber bullying in schools. That apart, our methodology, modified by our experience of four years, has been further sharpened to give you the best results. Of course, choosing a school for a child is ultimately the decision of parents and guardians and depends on a host of factors. Our aim in this endeavour is to provide you with well-researched qualitative as well as quantitative insights to make that task a bit easier. In case you’ve missed the ongoing survey in Hindustan Times, log on to access the information on the e-book. And, as always, we would encourage you to let us know what you think of it. Your suggestions will help make our annual exercise more meaningful.
r young parents
top schools HINDUSTAN TIMES-C FORE SURVEY 2012
FOR GOOD EDUCATION, GO WEST Zehra Kazmi ■ zehra.kazmi@hindustantimes.com If there is one thing that has single-handedly given a fillip to education in west Delhi, it is the creation of the sub-city of Dwarka. Young, upper middle-class professionals are flocking here in droves, lured by good infrastructure and the long line of apartment blocks. According to DDA estimates, after its completion, Dwarka will be home to a million people. No wonder then, schools offering quality education have mushroomed here at a fast pace. The presence of higher educational institutions such as the National Law University, the Ambedkar University, Netaji Subhash Institute of Technology only serves to bolster Dwarka’s reputation as a hub. And unsurprisingly, seven out of the Top 10 in the 2012 HT-C fore Top Schools Survey 2012 are located in Dwarka. “When we started in 2001, occupancy was low, there was no public transport. Teachers from Janakpuri or Vikaspuri would find it difficult to commute. But all that has changed now,” said Mrinalini Kaura, principal, Venkateshwara International. Delhi Public School leads the pack with the highest scores in ‘academic rigour’, ‘competence of teachers’ and ‘infrastructure and facilities’. “We believe in high standards, whether it is academics or values. We give students good resources and tremendous opportunities. No student stays in anonymity –teachers give each child attention,” said Sunita Tanwar, principal, DPS, Dwarka. With the highest scores in ‘extra-curricular activities’, Venkateshwar International stands third while Nirmal Bhartia bags the fourth spot with the best scores in ‘innovative teaching’ and ‘life skills education’ parameters. Dwarka may dominate the education scene here, but the rest of west Delhi isn’t far behind. Francis de Sales, Janakpuri, sits proudly in the
second spot, scoring the highest on ‘value system/integration’ and ‘value for money’. Hansraj Model School, Punjabi Bagh and St Mark’s Public School, Janakpuri also find place in the top 10. TEACHING AND TECHNOLOGY Schools here place a premium on using the newest technology for lessons, counting it as one of their USPs. “We have smart boards, wi-fi, multimedia capsules and laptops for teachers. In fact, use of technology is one of the biggest attractions for parents,” said Kaura. Tanwar concurs but offers a word of caution as well. “Technology has transformed the way we teach, but it is only a means to an end. We don’t believe in advertising smartboards etc,” she said. Students — and teachers — have also found a way to harness the power of social networking sites. They use it to share information, organise competitions and society events. “We have a mini forum for our class of 40. One status updates everybody, making things easier,” said Shruti Kochchar, a class 12 student at DPS, Dwarka. While schools don’t deny the challenges of monitoring online behavior and cyber-bullying, they reiterate the need to keep pace with the rest of the world. “You can’t blindfold children or keep them aloof from the world, like frogs in a well. Here, we try to give them roots of tradition with the wings of modernity,” said Suruchi Gandhi, principal, Bal Bharati Public School. Students, too, have their own ideas on what a truly modern education should be. Ananay Kulshreshta, a science student at DPS, said, “Education should be more research-based, not just about rote learning. Even in prestigious research institutions like the IITs, there are only a few papers which make headlines.” A vocal classroom at Bal Bharati sums up the mantra: “Less priority to marks, less theory, more practicals and more weightage to ECA,” said the students in unison.
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top schools HINDUSTAN TIMES-C FORE SURVEY 2012
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TOP SCHOOLS OF WEST DELHI
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The 2012 Hindustan Times-C fore Top Schools Survey gave scores to each school across 14 parameters, from academic rigour to sports. Here’s a list of schools ranked in the Top Ten in West Delhi
DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL, DWARKA
Students are encouraged to develop interests in public speaking, quizzing and environmental issues. The school also has vast play areas for cricket, football, basketball, tennis and badminton. Topped in 5 categories, including ‘academic rigour’, ‘infrastructure and facilities’ and ‘ECA’. www.dpsdwarka.com
011-25074472
R 60,000 per annum
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ST FRANCIS DE SALES SCHOOL
Besides text books, the school library has a collection of 23,300 books. Its well-equipped engineering lab meets the new syllabus designed by CBSE for computer-aided designing. Has the best ‘value for money’, ‘value system/integration’ and ‘social accountability’ scores. www.sfs.com
011-25551113
R 26,280 per annum (Class 1)
top schools HINDUSTAN TIMES-C FORE SURVEY 2012
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VENKATESHWAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, DWARKA
It offers a wide range of tech tools for teaching such as digitally equipped classrooms, Educomp Smart Class and EZ Vidya Curriculum. Another USP - a virtual science lab. Tied for best ‘ECA’ score; does well in ‘parental participation’ and ‘competence of teachers’.
www.vis10dwarka.com
011-43180800
R60,000 per annum (pre-primary)
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NIRMAL BHARTIA SCHOOL, DWARKA
In addition to state-of-the-art facilities for the sciences - physics, chemistry and biology, it also has specialised labs for language and mathematics. There are computer facilities in each class. Highest ‘innovative teaching’, ‘individual attention to students’ and ‘parental participation’ scores. www.nirmalbhartia.com
011-45609702
R76,980 per annum
top schools HINDUSTAN TIMES-C FORE SURVEY 2012
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HANSRAJ MODEL SCHOOL, PUNJABI BAGH
In June 2010, the school was given the Science Intellect Trophy by the Science Olympiad Foundation. Environmental conservation is also a focus area. The swimming pool is a major attraction. Second highest ‘social accountability’ score; done well on the ‘value for money’ parameter. www.hansrajmodelschool.org
011-45911500
R37,961 per annum
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MOUNT CARMEL SCHOOL, DWARKA
What makes Mount Carmel stand apart is that its Shiksha Kendra provides education after school hours to those who have never been to school, or had to drop-out. Tied for highest ‘safety and hygiene’ score; second highest on ‘innovative teaching’ parameter. www.mountcarmeldelhi.com
011-28052003
R44,900 per annum
top schools HINDUSTAN TIMES-C FORE SURVEY 2012
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BAL BHARATI PUBLIC SCHOOL, DWARKA
The school encourages a number of club activities. To foster qualities of compassion, selfless service and charity, periodical visits are organised to orphanages and old age homes. Second highest ‘academic rigour’ score; does well on ‘infrastructure and facilities’, ‘value for money’. www.bbpsdwarka.org
011-28031970
R34,120 per annum
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INDRAPRASTHA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
The school has fully air-conditioned classrooms. Each classroom has computer facilities. Indoor and outdoor facilities for sports include a swimming pool, basketball court, table tennis, taekwondo, aerobics. It has the second highest ‘individual attention to students’ score; does well on ‘safety and hygiene’. www.indraprasthaschool.com
011-25073111
R58,970 per annum
top schools HINDUSTAN TIMES-C FORE SURVEY 2012
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ST MARK’S SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL
A campus area of nearly 5 acres makes it possible to focus on various sports. To make its students more physically capable and prepared for any eventuality, the school encourages them to join NCC. The school does well on the ‘value system/integration’ and ‘social accountability’ parameters. www.saintmarksschool.com
011-25262056
R 36,927 per annum (Class 1)
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10 SRI VENKATESHWAR INTERNATIONAL
This school is well-known in west Delhi for its architectural magnificence and academic standards. Another plus - its playfields. It has a football ground, basketball court, swimming pool and skating courts. Highest ‘safety and hygiene’ score; respectable score in the ‘infrastructure and facilities’. www.svis.org.in
011-42815336
R74,350 per annum
top schools HINDUSTAN TIMES-C FORE SURVEY 2012
THEY TOO MAKE THE GRADE... MIRA MODEL SR SEC SCHOOL Set in a campus of 4 acres, the building has provisions for fire fighting, rain water harvesting, sewerage and has its own waste-water treatment plant. It also has hostel facilities with three students sharing a room. Sports is a key focus area. Students train in basketball, cricket, volleyball, badminton, taekwondo and karate. Regular treks and camps are organised during vacations.
NK BAGRODIA SCHOOL NKBPS Dwarka has introduced several new technologies in classroom-teaching. Its smart class rooms boast of several hi-tech equipments such as touch-screen, white board (interactive board), projector, audio systems and computers. Another USP — a beautiful half-Olympic swimming pool.
GD GOENKA SCHOOL Facilities exist for cricket, lawn tennis, badminton, taekwondo, skating, football, basketball and volley ball. Indoor activities include table tennis, chess, yoga, aerobics and
With each school having different strengths, parents have many more names to choose from. Here are some other good options
various board games. The spacious library is an e-library, stocking an extensive reference and literary collection and CDs on a variety of subjects. Each student computer has access to the internet.
VED VYASA DAV PUBLIC SCHOOL Aakanksha — a project for students with specific needs — is one of the school’s admirable ventures. The students of Aakansha participate actively in all competitions and have won laurels at national-level Special Olympics. Another achievement — a CD library for students. The main purpose of the library is to enhance the learning experience of young learners and to facilitate the learning process.
NC JINDAL SCHOOL The school has smart classrooms, two well-equipped computer labs. It also has a number of clubs amongst which the eco club is the most active one. The club organises tours to bio diversity parks. Life-skill education has also been made an integral part of the school time-table.
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3 2 4 1 8 4 6 8 10 7
4 6 8 3 9 1 6 4 9 1
3 1 8 6 2 8 4 6 4 10
2 4 3 1 10 8 7 5 8 5
Value for Money
4 1 7 2 3 7 4 10 4 7
Infrastructure and Facilities
2 6 4 1 9 2 6 4 10 6
Parental participation
5 6 4 1 9 2 6 4 10 6
Social Accountability
2 4 3 10 1 5 7 8 5 8
Safety and Hygiene
1 7 1 4 10 3 7 4 9 6
Life Skills Education
1 6 3 9 7 5 2 3 8 9
Value System/ Integration
Individual Attention to Students
1 2 3 4 8 6 5 10 6 9
Innovative Teaching
Sports
1 2 3 9 4 6 5 8 6 10
ECA
Delhi Public School, Dwarka St Francis de Sales Venkateshwara Intl, Sec 10 Nirmal Bhartia School Hansraj Model School Mount Carmel School Bal Bharati Public School Indraprastha International St Mark’s Sen Sec Public Sri Venkateshwara School
Academic Rigour
1 2 3 4 5 6 6 8 8 10
Teacher Care and Development
NAME OF SCHOOL
Competence of Teachers
RANK
PARAMETER WISE RANKING OF WEST DELHI SCHOOLS
1 2 3 10 8 5 3 7 8 5
2 1 4 8 3 7 5 10 5 8
Nursery fee figures, provided to HT by the schools, are approximate. They include annual fee and development charges (transport fee is variable). For the total fee amount, please contact the schools. * These schools did not participate in the survey. Their scores are based on the perceptual survey conducted among parents and teachers as mentioned in the methodology. DISCLAIMER :The survey data is a copyright of HT Media Limited, any use of this survey data would lead to infringement of their copyright and may result in legal action against the Infringer.
METHODOLOGY The survey was conducted in three phases. In phase-1, schools were invited to provide information on academic and non-academic facilities, performance of students and profile of teachers. Broadly, Central Delhi is represented by the area falling within the Inner Ring Road. South-East Delhi is separated from South-West Delhi by Aurobindo Marg. Then, research agency C fore shortlisted schools for the second round, in which a perceptual survey was carried out with a sample of 3,000 parents and teachers across the city's six zones. They were asked to assess schools they were aware of on a scale of 10 against 14 parameters. Results of the perceptual survey were combined with objective data from the first round to rank schools. In phase-3, C fore researchers visited the schools to conduct an audit and finalise rankings. Perceptual data scores were extrapolated for schools that did not participate.