Page 348 - EducationWorld September 2023

Cover Story EW GIRLS DAY SCHOOLS RANKINGS 2023-24

INDIA’S MOST ADMIRED

GIRLS DAY SCHOOLS

Forecasting & Research (C fore) have
promoted Rajmata Krishna Ku-
mari Girls Public School, Jodh-
pur (RKKGPS), ranked #2 in 2022-
23, to joint #1 with Carmel Convent
School, Chandigarh, ranked #4 last
year. Sacred Heart Sr. Sec School,
Chandigarh, ranked #1 in 2022-23,
has slipped to #2. Modern High
School for Girls, Kolkata has re-
tained its #3 ranking of last year.
Neera Singh, principal of the CB-
SE-affiliated RKKGPS (estb.1992),
is “thrilled” that EWISR survey re-
spondents have awarded the school
1+ rank. “Over the past two years, we
have taken deliberate steps to improve
on all 14 EWISR parameters, espe-
cially those on which we had received
low scores. Therefore, it’s very satis-
RKKGPS’s Neera Singh (centre): collective effort pay-off fying that the collective efforts of the
management, teachers and students
The country’s best all-girls day schools have built formidable have paid off,” says Singh, an alumna
reputations for dispensing not merely rigorous academics of Rajasthan and SNDT, Mumbai uni-
versities who has 25 years of teaching
but also co-curricular, sports and life skills education to experience in schools countrywide,
prepare girl children for leadership positions in society appointed principal of RKKGPS in
2008.
Singh derives special pride that
ndia’s all-girls schools are valu- tinctly from co-ed and all-boys institu- RKKGPS is awarded highest score on
able national assets. In a still tions in the annual EW India School the parameters of infrastructure provi-
largely conservative and patri- Rankings (EWISR). It’s important to sion, parental involvement, communi-
Iarchal society where gender dis- note that the broad category of all- ty service, special needs education and
crimination is rife, girls-only schools girls day schools — sub-divided last sports education. “Community service
perform an important public service year to create a new category of vin- is an important focus area for us. Our
by dispensing quality K-12 education tage legacy schools (over 90 years of girl children manage a sanitary nap-
to girl children who would otherwise age) — comprises 89 institutions (cf. kins manufacturing unit on campus
be denied it for religious and cultural 52 boys schools) indicating continuous and also participate in several rural
reasons. Moreover, the country’s most demand for gender-segregated educa- women empowerment programmes.
respected girls day schools have built tion for girl children. Sports education is a top priority with
formidable reputations in their host In EWISR 2023-24, the league table 17 games offered and all girl children
cities for delivering not merely rigor- of India’s best all-girls day schools has compulsorily required to play one in-
ous academics but also co-curricular, undergone a major makeover (for vin- dividual and one team game. It’s our
sports and life skills education to pre- tage legacy girls schools league table, focus on empowering girl children
pare girl children for leadership posi- see p.354). The 18,928 sample respon- not just with academic education but
tions in society. dents comprising parents, teachers, also with skills of communication,
Therefore, since 2007 all-girls day educators and senior students inter- teamwork, confidence, resilience, and
schools are ranked separately and dis- viewed by the Delhi-based Centre for leadership that distinguishes RKK-

348 EDUCATIONWORLD SEPTEMBER 2023