INDIA'S TOP SCHOOLS

Choosing the right school is probably one of the dilemmas faced by a parent. After all, a good education is the best investment you can make for your child. But with the concept of education today shifting from the overall development of the child to a mere means of securing a 'good job', it has now become an even bigger dilemma.

While state-run schools, or Public schools, as they are called, are considered the best in the West, here in India, it is the reverse. Today, education in context to wisdom and values is outdated. Most parents look for an upscale public school to educate their children in the hope that they would make it to reputed medical/engineering colleges.

There are an estimated 5,000 good schools in India with decent infrastructure and student faculty ratio of at the most 20:1. They are affiliated to either one of the boards, the CBSE or the ICSE.

Although ICSE is rated better than CBSE, since all competitive exams are based on the CBSE syllabus, most parents opt for CBSE schools. Says Francis Fanthome, Chief Executive & Secretary of the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) which conducts the ICSE in over 1000 countrywide, "The system of selection has made education irrelevant. The government boards' curricula focus mostly on narrow cognitive capabilities. Rote learning is encouraged and students aren't taught to think, question or analyse."

As reported in the Outlook, a survey was conducted by the Centre for Forecasting and Research in six metros and Chandigarh. 632 teachers were asked to evaluate the top 15 schools in each city on a 10-point scale. The parameters used were competence of the faculty, attention to studies, individual attention to students, sports, extra-curricular activities, teaching moral and social values and infrastructure and facilities. These are the results.

BANGALORE'S TOP SCHOOLS

Bishop Cotton Boys School, Bangalore
The school follows the ICSE system of examinations and has an impressive strength of 5,000 students (from KG up to Class 12) and 235 teachers. It is the first school to introduce multimedia in kindergarten. Some 300 computers have been installed across five computer labs and students access the net through a leased line.

Excellence comes easy to this school courtesy its equal emphasis on studies and extra-curricular activities from the time Rev Pettigrew started it 135 years ago. The uniform attention on academics, sports and cultural activities is evident as you walk its sprawling campus. They spot talent at the beginning of the academic year and nurture it with scholarships for outstanding pupils. Students are also encouraged to participate in inter-school competitions.

Its alumni includes cricketers like the late English skipper Sir Colin Cowdrey and Brijesh Patel, nuclear scientist Raja Ramanna, Chief of Army Staff Gen K.S. Thimayya, Chief of Naval Staff Adml V.S. Shekhawat, Lucky Ali and music director Biddu and Nandan Nilekani, MD, Infosys Technologies Ltd.

Source: Outlook

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