Page 60 - Education World Dec 2021

Cover Story EW BOYS BOARDING SCHOOLS RANKINGS 2021 22

education institutions as well.
s
The improved ranking of B i h op
C otton S c h ool , S h i m l a ( B C S ,
estb.1859) in EWISR 2021-22 evokes
a lukewarm response from S i m on
W e a l e , the newly (January 2020)-ap-
pointed director of this vintage all-
boys school, because he isn’t particu-
larly enamoured with institutional
rankings league tables.
Having successfully managed the
Covid-19 pandemic that prompted
closure of all education institutions
countrywide for over 16 months by
fully wiring this ancient school for
integrated online learning — “the
lockdown forced us to embrace 21st
century technology” — Weale, a mod-
ern history graduate of the globally
top-ranked Oxford University who RIMC, Dehradun’s Col. Ajay Kumar: unsolicited Top 10 ranking
acquired valuable teaching and admin
experience in several primary-second- school by installing central heating, a C ol . A j a y K u m a r, an alumnus
ary independent (private) schools in heated indoor swimming pool and of the National Defence Academy,
London and as headmaster of She- constructing all-weather tennis courts Pune and Defence Services Staff Col-
beear College, Devon (2013-19) prior and cricket practice facilities. Simul- lege, Wellington (Tamil Nadu), is not
to being selected by the Bishop Cot- taneously, we have initiated an am- surprised. “Even though we never
ton School Society (chaired ex-officio bitious global international outreach advertise or project ourselves, there
by the Bishop of the Church of North programme to invite school teams is widespread awareness within the
India), is all set to discharge his man- from 40 English speaking countries well-informed public about the high
date to transform BCS into a “truly for our Slater Debates next November academic and character development
world-class school that will become a and a cricket tour of the UK next sum- standards maintained by RIMCs. I be-
destination for students from around mer,” says Weale, adding the school is lieve our rigorous academic curricu-
the world”. With 94 percent of BCS also in the process of building a mas- lum, stringent selection process — we
students back on campus and a “sub- sive endowment corpus by tapping conduct our own RIMC Senior School
stantial war chest” sanctioned by the into its global alumni pool. If these Certificate Examination which is ac-
board of governors, Weale has drawn plans fructify, a major disruption of corded parity by CBSE — and con-
up ambitious plans to give the school a the EWISR Top 10 boys boarding temporary technologies-enabled in-
complete pedagogy and infrastructure schools league table is likely next year. frastructure explains our unsolicited
makeover. Although the annual EWISR league Top 10 ranking every year,” says Ajay
Building on the excellent work table of the country’s most admired Kumar. Currently, RIMC-D which
done by my predecessor Roy boys boarding schools is dominated prides itself for not closing down at all
“Robinson who was headmaster by vintage private institutions estab- during the Covid pandemic, has 250
here for 15 years, we intend to up- lished and nurtured during the Raj students and 20 full-time teachers on
grade BCS into a comprehensive new era, the sample respondents have in- its muster rolls.
technologies-enabled school with an cluded a substantial number of gov- Beyond the Top 10, several other
excellent career counselling and glob- ernment, especially defence services, R I M C s (Belagavi, Ajmer and Dhol-
al mentorship programme following schools in the boys boarding schools pur) have also improved their rank-
introduction of a new BCS 7 Learner league table. Among them, the low- ings in 2021-22. Moreover, nine
Habits programme to ensure all stu- profile R a s h triy a I n di n M i ita ry S a in ik S c h ool s promoted by the
a
l
dents are connected, curious, cre- C ol l e g e , D e h ra du n ( R I M C - D ) , es- Union defence ministry also feature
ative, reflective, resilient, motivated tablished in 1922 as “the first school in the 35-strong league table of suffi-
and principled. We have also drawn promoted as a feeder school of mili- ciently well-known (schools rated and
up an infrastructure development tary training colleges promoted by the ranked by less than 25 sample respon-
plan to transform BCS — which shuts defence services”, is routinely ranked dents are not ranked) boys boarding
down every winter — into a year round among the Top 10. schools of India.

60 EDUCATIONWORLD DECEMBER 2021