Page 36 - Education World Dec 2021

Cover Story EW INDIA SCHOOL RANKINGS 2021-22

nationally reputed market research
and opinion polls company. They are
asked to rate schools in their zones/re-
gion under each parameter on a scale
of 1-100 with the critical parameter of
teacher competence accorded double
weightage. The scores awarded to
schools under each parameter by the
sample respondents are totalled and
schools are ranked nationally, in states
and cities.
The objective of this annual exer-
cise is to enable parents to choose the
most convenient and aptitudinally
suitable school for their children. To
facilitate choice of this life-shaping
institution, schools are ranked in 14
separate and distinct categories such
as co-ed day, day-cum-boarding, all- Palety: spirited defence Mohindra: huge public benefit
boys and exclusively girls schools,
legacy boarding co-ed, boys and girls league tables rating and ranking the audit study of 1.5 million schools
schools and international schools country’s most-reputed Budget Pri- countrywide would be ruinously ex-
(day, day-cum-boarding and fully res- vate Schools and pre-primaries, most pensive and time consuming.
idential). This is to avoid falling into of which are still shuttered for fear of Be that as it may, P re m c h a n d
the trap of making apples and oranges youngest children being infected by P a l e ty , an alum of the highly-ranked
type comparisons. the dread Coronavirus. Punjab Engineering College, Chandi-
A S MENTIONED ABOVE annual EWISR is to enable parents Delhi, who began his career in ORG,
Although the prime purpose of the
garh and Fore School of Management,
over the past 14 years
to choose wisely the most suitable
India’s pioneer retail market research
since the annual EW-
ISR was somewhat ten- primary-secondary school for their company and later went solo as pro-
moter-director of C fore (estb.2000),
children, EWISR has also proved very
tatively launched, it has useful for institutional managements. arguably the country’s most respected
evolved into the world’s largest prima- It provides them with an independent, market research and opinion polls
ry-secondary schools ranking survey objective image of their public pro- company (clients: Congress party,
that evaluates the relative strengths file, enabling them to conduct SWOT Nestle, Mint among others) which has
and weaknesses of over 3,000 most (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities conducted the annual EWISR since
reputed schools in India. Last month and threats) analyses and improve 2008, offers a spirited defence of the
(November) in our 280-pages, 22nd under parameters in which they re- EWISR survey methodology.
Anniversary issue, we presented Part ceive low scores. Self-evidently, high- “Although EWISR is primarily a
I of EWISR 2021-22 featuring com- ranked schools attract the best teach- perceptions- based survey, it’s impor-
prehensive league tables rating and ers and brightest students. tant to note that the perceptions are
ranking Day (co-ed, all-boys and Unfortunately, but perhaps inevi- not of randomly selected lay people,
girls), Day-cum-boarding, Govern- tably in a society that doesn’t value but of educationists, principals, teach-
ment (day and boarding) and Special innovation and achievement, de- ers, fees-paying parents and senior
Needs schools. spite the annual EWISR highlighting students — individuals intimately
Now in Part II of EWISR 2021- the critical importance of providing connected with K-12 education on a
22, we present detailed league tables children a balanced, transformative day-to-day basis and well-aware of
rating India’s best Boarding (co-ed, education experience to realise their the best schools in their neighbour-
all-girls and boys) schools — some of potential, influential academics tend hoods. This year, scores awarded un-
them of over 150 years vintage and to be sceptical, if not indifferent. Sev- der the crucial parameter of ‘teacher
globally admired — and International eral respected academics have criti- competence’ include grades awarded
(day, day-cum-boarding and fully cised EWISR for being a perceptions- to teachers in a special online test ad-
residential) schools affiliated with based K-12 institutions survey rather ministered by Centre for Teacher Ac-
offshore international examination than a detailed audit. Curiously, they creditation (CENTA), the well-known
boards. In addition, we also present are unmindful of the reality that an teacher development and certification

36 EDUCATIONWORLD DECEMBER 2021