Page 68 - EW Oct 2023

Cover Story EW GIRLS BOARDING SCHOOLS RANKINGS 2023-24

a conscious effort to improve under
every parameter of school education
excellence. I believe that we should
have got higher scores under the
parameters of teacher competence,
curriculum and pedagogy, sports
education and community service.
Our teachers are well-trained under
our professional development pro-
gramme and effortlessly switched to
digital education during the Covid
pandemic. Moreover sports educa-
tion is accorded high importance in
HGU and several of our girls have
been selected to represent Rajast-
han in national sports and games
tournaments. We also have a very
successful sports shoes recycling
programme under which we have
distributed sports shoes to lakhs of
Heritage Girls’ Tulasi Bhatia (centre left): conscious improvement effort disadvantaged rural children. Per-
haps these achievements of our girls
co-curricular education, individual Partners, which has established have not been sufficiently broadcast.
attention to students and safety high-end schools in the UK, China We intend to raise our public profile
and hygiene. We accord the highest and Thailand, to jointly promote in the years to come,” says Bhatia.
importance to teacher development schools in India. In the shortlist of sufficiently
and welfare and maintain a high Among the Top 10 girls reputed girls boarding schools (in-
teacher-pupil ratio of 1:5. Our high residential schools awarded a stitutions evaluated by less than 25
scores under the co-curricular substantial promotion by this year’s sample respondents are not ranked),
education and internationalism EW sample respondents is Heritage several have markedly improved
and sports education parameters Girls, Udaipur (HGU). Ranked their ranking this year. Among
are proof that we provide well- #10 in 2021 and #8 last year, it is them: Doon Girls International,
balanced education to our girls. ranked #6 with good scores under Dehradun to #7 (10) and the Shah
We offer the entire gamut of sports the parameters of co-curricular Satnam Ji Girls School, Sirsa
ranging from shooting, tennis, education and internationalism, (Haryana) to #10 (14). The previous-
squash, swimming to field games curriculum and pedagogy, pastoral ly unranked Leeladevi Parasmal
such as football, hockey and cricket care and mental and emotional well- Sancheti English Medium Sr.
to our girls,” says Khanna, who being services. Sec School, Pali (Rajasthan) has
has a Ph D in mathematics from Tulasi Bhatia, an English and debuted at #20.
Delhi University and Masters in psychology postgrad of Patna Uni- It’s also noteworthy that sev-
education from University College versity with teaching experience in eral girls’ boarding schools that are
London, supplemented with the Notre Dame Academy, Patna, St. modestly ranked in the national
valuable teaching experience in the Joseph’s and Loyola Schools in Pat- league table are high ranked in
Jayshree Periwal School, Jaipur na, and a long stint in the top-ranked their host states. For instance, the
(2004-07) and the top-ranked Doon Good Shepherd International, Ooty MCM Kothari International
School, Dehradun (2007-18) prior (1999-2011) followed by a period as Girls School, Valsad, ranked #12
to her appointment as principal in a Delhi-based education consultant nationally, has been ranked #1 in
February this year. Currently, this prior to being invited to take charge Gujarat for several years. Likewise,
exclusive all-girls boarding school as founder-principal of HGU, is de- Avasara Academy, ranked India
has 444 girl students mentored by lighted with this low-profile all-girls #13 this year, is numero uno in
80 teachers on its musters. And boarding school’s steady ascent up Maharashtra, India’s most indus-
its future is bright. In 2021, the the EW league table. trialised state (pop.115 million). For
Dehradun-based Unison Group “The annual EW survey of India’s parents who don’t want their girls to
signed an agreement with the UK- best schools is a very enabling initia- be sent too far away, state rankings
based Wellington International tive. We study it carefully and make assume considerable significance.

68 EDUCATIONWORLD OCTOBER 2023