Page 64 - EW December 2020

Cover Story EW BOYS BOARDING SCHOOLS RANKINGS 2020-21

INDIA’S BEST BOYS BOARDING SCHOOLS

The biggest upset of EWISR 2020-21 is the toppling of The Doon School,
Dehradun, ranked #1 since 2007, from its premier podium position in the
boys boarding schools category

of TDS’ formidable brand equity to the
school’s board of governors, breaking
with latter-day tradition and appoint-
ing two expatriates in succession as
headmasters of this all-boys boarding
school, promoted (by brilliant Calcut-
ta barrister S.R. Das) eight decades
ago out of nationalist impulses and
as a reaction to several vintage boys
boarding schools established by our
erstwhile masters expressing reluc-
tance to admitting the progeny of even
upper class natives.
In 2009 after notable academic
Kanti Bajpai, currently professor at
National University of Singapore, re-
tired, having served a six-year tenure
as headmaster of this class VI-XII
school, whose alumni are a veritable
Who’s Who of the Indian establish-
Scindia School’s Dr. Saraswat: solo #1 delight ment, the school’s governing board
appointed Dr. Peter Mclaughlin who
lthough gender segre- emerged as a role model school for served two three-year terms (2009-
gated schools are increas- the great majority of boys and girls 16) and Matthew Raggett who was
ingly going out of fashion boarding schools. reportedly sacked earlier this year.
Ain the new age of women’s Therefore, unsurprisingly since the Clearly, the appointment of these
lib and equality, some of India’s vin- pioneer EducationWorld India School two red brick university graduates of
tage all-boys boarding schools sited Rankings (EWISR) were introduced no special merit as headmasters of
in salubrious hill stations in the best in 2007, TDS has been voted the #1 this premier boys boarding school in
traditions of Great Britain’s famous boys boarding school, except in 2014 succession has disappointed well-in-
boys boarding schools such as Eton, when that year’s sample respondents formed EW sample respondents who
Harrow, Winchester and Rugby, have awarded top rank to Bishop Cotton, have dislodged it from its usual posi-
acquired formidable reputations that Shimla. However over the past de- tion in the annual EWISR.
endure within post-independence cade, the total score gap between TDS Following the termination of
India’s elite, upper and aspirational and runners-up who have replicated Raggett’s contract in March, the TDS
middle classes. its best practices has been closing. board of governors chaired by Sunil
However, in recent years, vintage Last year (2019-20), the pro- Kant Munjal, chairman of Hero
all-boys boarding schools established nouncedly culturally nationalist The Motorcorp Ltd, has made amends by
in the 19th century (Bishop Cotton Scindia School, Gwalior (SSG, appointing the highly articulate and
Boys, Shimla, St. Paul’s, Darjeeling, estb.1897) was jointly top ranked with experienced Dr. Jagpreet Singh,
among others) have been eclipsed TDS, and this year’s 11,368 sample re- a former TDS teacher and hitherto
in the popular imagination by legacy spondents have decisively voted SSG principal of the Punjab Public School,
boarding schools with Indian flavour. #1 with a clear margin. This is un- Nabha which he quickly raised from
In particular, the class VI-XII The doubtedly the biggest upset of EWISR obscurity into a EWISR Top 10 in-
Doon School (TDS, estb.1935) 2020-21. stitution. Under Singh who has an
promoted with nationalist impulses Informed monitors of the national excellent track record and is highly
on the eve of India’s independence education scene attribute the erosion regarded within the country’s prima-

64 EDUCATIONWORLD DECEMBER 2020