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Eastenders ready to play ball
Respectable: Ghaziabad’s infrastructure may still lag behind other satellite towns but its best schools are up for all sorts of challenges. Zehra Kazmi reports.
It may be the world’s second-fastest growing city, but Ghaziabad’s infrastructure and administration have not kept pace with its growth. Its schools, on the other hand, are rising up to meet the challenge. They are not only providing state-of-the-art facilities, but are letting students choose from an array of activities aimed at over-all development.
The results of the 2013 HT-C fore Top Schools Survey reveal several ups and downs in the rankings, but the top two schools - DPS Ghaziabad and DPS Indirapuram - retain their positions from last year. DLF Public School, with the highest score in ‘innovative teaching’, has climbed to the number three spot. Seth Anandram Jaipuria and DPSG, Vasundhra are tied at the sixth rank, but while the former has climbed its way up the ladder, the latter has slipped three spots from last year.
The Holy Child School may have low scores on the ‘extra-curricular activities’ parameter, but it has cemented its fifth position by topping the ‘value for money’, ‘social accountability’ and ‘value system’ categories. The relatively new Gurukul the School, started in 2002, is fast making a name for itself, earning a place in the top ten as well.
Though there has been a steady mushrooming of schools in Ghaziabad, it is still trying to match neighbouring Noida and Delhi schools in quantity and quality. But it’s a gap that schools here are ready to bridge, armed with new teaching methods, technology-friendly classrooms and a wide range of activities.
Giving ample Exposure
Over the years, what parents want for their children has evolved. While earlier the focus was on academics, preferably the Science stream, now parents want to ensure that their children are not missing out on anything.
The lunch hour at Uttam School for Girls buzzes with activity, as a school council election is underway. The students are confident, articulate and poised. Earlier, parents used to flock to the school, ranked fourth, because it is an all-girls institution, Sharmila Raheja, principal, says this is no longer the case. “They are not living in isolation, they don’t want to segregate their girls. They now choose us because they know what we stand for — a focus on academics along with grace and refinement,” she said.
Parents’ wish list for their children may be long, but some demands are common – excellent communication skills and exposure to new things. According to Anju Sharma, principal, Ryan International School, parents opt for brand-name schools because they provide a platform for the child to interact with students from other branches in different parts of the city. “We have a lot of inter-Ryan competitions and faculty members from different branches interact at workshops too,” she said.
