Page 48 - EW December 2020

Cover Story EW CO-ED BOARDING SCHOOLS RANKINGS 2020-21

AVS’ Vidhukesh Vimal: continuous faculty development outcome Sharfuddin: determined institutional effort
ceded rank this year. dale, Assam Valley School, Balipara interference of state governments
Beyond the Top 5, the remaining and The Doon School, Dehradun be- with the operations and administra-
places of the Top 10 table have been fore being appointed headmaster of tion of private schools, determined
awarded to Sahyadri School, Pune, the new genre superbly equipped SIS edupreneurs are risking time, money
at #6 (7); Miles Bronson Residen- (estb. 2014). Currently, this globally and other resources and stepping for-
tial, Guwahati jointly ranked #7 benchmarked co-ed boarding school ward to meet the rising demand for
with SelaQui International, Deh- has 302 students and 45 teachers on co-ed boarding schools far from mad-
radun (8); the Lawrence School, its muster rolls. ding crowds, for their children.
Lovedale, Ooty jointly ranked #8 Beyond the Top 10, several co-ed Although carping Left academics —
with Isha Home, Coimbatore (5); boarding schools have risen in public driven more by old-fashioned envy of
Sherwood College, Nainital #9 (6) esteem and are likely to rise high in successful risk-taking entrepreneurs
and Punjab Public School, Nabha the EWISR league tables of the future. than real ideological compulsions —
and Wynberg Allen, Mussoorie Among them: St. Thomas Residen- are likely to deplore the multiplica-
jointly ranked #10 (9) and (13). tial School, Thiruvnanthapuram tion of ‘elite’ co-ed boarding schools,
“I am truly delighted that SelaQui at #13 (17) and #1 in Kerala (pop.32 there’s no gainsaying that they serve
International is ranked among In- million); Anubhuti School, Jal- the national interest.
dia’s Top 10 and especially #1 in the gaon #15 (18) and #3 in Maharash- A last word. Although given the
education hub of Uttarakhand. This tra (pop. 115 million); St. Michael’s, vast size and diversity of India, some
is the outcome of the sustained effort Siliguri #19 (23); Aryan School, excellent co-ed boarding schools are
invested by my colleagues who despite Dehradun #27 (34); De Paul In- modestly ranked in the national league
many personal and professional chal- ternational, Mysore/Mysuru #28 table, it’s pertinent to note they are of-
lenges, have stepped up to support our (33); the previously unranked Velam- ten top-ranked in their states which in
students and parents during the cur- mal Residential School, #29; Ka- terms of size and population are equal
rent pandemic. They have reinvented ziranga English Academy, Guwa- to most European countries.
themselves and in the process, the en- hati #33 (36). For instance the Rajghat Be-
tire pedagogical process. SIS’ steady Moreover, several previously un- sant School, Varanasi ranked #13
growth, excellent board results and ranked, presumably newly promoted nationally is the #1 co-ed boarding
higher ranking this year are attrib- primary-secondaries — Vidyaman- school of the heartland state of Uttar
utable solely to their determined ef- gal Residential, Surat; Birla Pradesh (pop. 215 million); the Sagar
forts. I must also thank our chairman, International, Ajmer; Eklavya School, Alwar #15 is top-ranked
Mr. Om Pathak and board members Model Residential School, in Rajasthan (pop.68 million) and
for their continuous support,” says Navsari (Gujarat); Slopeland the low-profile Himali Boarding
Rashid Sharfuddin, an alumnus of Pubi, Khongjom; Seth M.R. Jai- School, Kurseong (estb.1978) is #1
St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and the puria, Babatpur Campus (UP); in West Bengal (pop. 91 million). In
University of Bath (UK) who began Anand Niketan Eklayvya Model, these anxious pandemic times, when
his teaching career at age 21 and gar- Valsad — have made their debut in anxious parents are disinclined to
nered rich experience as a teacher in EWISR 2020-21. This is encouraging send their children too far from home,
several top-ranked boarding schools testimony that despite official discour- the state rankings of boarding schools
including Lawrence School, Love- agement and increasing unwarranted have acquired greater importance.

48 EDUCATIONWORLD DECEMBER 2020