Page 40 - EducationWorld June 2022_Neat

Cover Story

evolved into the world’s largest and luri to heed the biblical injunction to
most detailed schools ranking sur- refrain from hiding the enlightening
vey. Apart from RVS, Madanapalle, KFI lamp under a bushel, and share
routinely ranked India’s #1 co-ed the schools’ exemplary practices with
boarding school, KFI’s Rajghat Besant the wider educators’ community in
School, Varanasi is ranked among the larger national interest in these
the Top 15 nationally and #1 in Uttar troubled times when the education
Pradesh (pop.215 million); Sahyadri system seems to have lost its moral
School is ranked #1 in Maharashtra and ethical bearings. Fortunately, this
(112 million); The Valley School #2 argument was accepted.
in Karnataka (63 million); and KFI, The hesitation of the KFI top brass
Chennai is ranked #1 in Tamil Nadu to raise their media profile is explained
D
(79 million). (Visit https://www.edu- by r. A . K u m a ra s w a m y , an alum-
cationworld.in/ew-india-school-rank- nus of IIT-Madras and a former CSIR
ings-2021-22/ for 2021-22 parameter scientist who signed up in 1982 with
scores and rankings). the Rishi Valley Education Centre
“There’s no doubt that within SEC (RVEC), of which the top-ranked
‘A’ households, KFI schools are held Alluri: teachings dissemination mission Rishi Valley School is a constituent
in high regard and have excellent unit. Although Kumaraswamy who
reputation. However, it’s important — to share their success secrets with has innovated alternative technolo-
to note that SEC ‘A’ respondents are the academic community. gies including biogas and solar wa-
a small minority within the general Only in recent years after EW ’s ter heating systems, and solar power
population. They tend to comprise bona fides as a missionary education generators for rural development at
well-educated, liberal-minded, high reform publication were established RVEC, expresses admiration for the
net worth parents. But with their ex- that KFI school leaders have become “unique methodology” of EWISR, he
cellent nation-building curriculums more accessible to react to EWISR believes that RVS’ consistent top rank-
and best primary-secondary educa- surveys, which routinely award them ing presented the management with
tion pedagogies and practices, KFI pride of place. Indeed to write this un- the problem of parents in India and
schools deserve a higher public pro- precedented long form story, your edi- abroad applying for admission of their
file and greater K-12 influencer sta- tor — a former practising barrister of children on the basis of its top rank,
tus than they have at present,” says the Bombay high court — had to mar- without “studying the school’s profile
P
P re m c h a n d a l e ty , promoter-CEO shal considerable advocacy resources and philosophy carefully”.
of the Delhi-based Centre for Fore- to persuade KFI trustee-secretary Al- “RVS has always discouraged com-
casting & Research Pvt. Ltd (C fore,
estb.2000) which has conducted the Dr. Kumaraswamy (right): top-rank mis-perception
annual EWISR ab initio.
T HE PRIME REASON WHY

Krishnamurti’s education
philosophy which propa-
gates inner growth, spiri-
tual and moral development, social
harmony and sustainable environ-
ment conservation practices hasn’t
sufficiently influenced the country’s
sub-standard primary-secondary
education system is that hitherto the
foundation and KFI schools in partic-
ular, have maintained a determined
low public profile. Although the un-
precedented EducationWorld India
School Rankings Survey was launched
in 2007, it was always difficult to per-
suade KFI trustees and leaders — per-
haps because of unwarranted modesty

40 EDUCATIONWORLD JUNE 2022