In multi-religious, multi-cultural, multi-lingual India, all-girls schools — especially boarding schools — discharge a very valuable nation-building duty. They thoroughly school girl children who for reasons of patriarchy, household conservatism and religious injunctions would have been prevented from accessing quality primary-secondary education.
Scindia Kanya principal Nishi Misra: model institution reputation
In all democracies worldwide gender segregated K-12 schools have gone out of date. And rightly so. Because when boys and girls start learning together from youngest age, they learn the virtues of mutual respect and gender egalitarianism, and also develop positive sentiments such as empathy and care.
In multi-religious, multi-cultural, multi-lingual and polyglot countries, all-girls schools discharge a very valuable nation-building duty. They thoroughly school girl children who for reasons of patriarchy, household conservatism and religious injunctions would have been prevented from accessing quality primary-secondary education.
This is especially true of upscale girls boarding schools which provide their privileged girl children excellent holistic K-12 education on a par with the country’s most respected boys boarding schools modeled on Eton, Harrow and Rugby among others. And it’s useful to remember the observation of the Duke of Wellington after he famously defeated the all-conquering French Emperor Napoleon in 1815: “The (decisive) Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.”
Therefore if girl children in premier girls boarding schools are receiving education on a par with the best boys boarding schools, it’s a progressive stride towards equality of the sexes, although it must be accepted that the percentage of the population who can afford to enroll their children in private girls boarding schools is minuscule.
Nevertheless there is high probability that well-educated girls equipped with excellent academic, communication, co-curricular and sports education — that top-ranked girls boarding schools provide — will emerge as champions of women’s rights and lead less privileged women to assert their constitutional rights and assume positions of leadership within Indian society. Hence the high importance accorded to gender segregated girls schools and girls residential schools in particular in the annual EducationWorld India School Rankings (EWISR).
Against this backdrop of attracting girl children from often conservative homes and educating them in progressive, egalitarian environments, the Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya, Gwalior (SKV, estb. 1956) has established the reputation of a model institution. Ranked first or second nationwide in the category of (non-vintage) girls boarding schools for the past five years, and joint #1 in 2023-24, SKV is ranked the sole #1 this year with a formidable total score (1324) well ahead of Welham Girls, Dehradun, and Ecole Globale International, Dehradun (1309) co-ranked #2.
The composition of top table in 2024-25 has hardly changed from last year. Unison World School, Dehradun retains its #3 rank, followed by Mayo Girls, Ajmer and Birla Balika Vidyapeth, Pilani both ranked #4 (4). The new entrant to top table is the Heritage Girls, Udaipur ranked #5 (6).
MCMKI’s trustee Kush Sakaria (left): caring culture outcome
“Although we have been high ranked for several years, we aren’t complacent and are truly honoured that a different set of sample respondents has also ranked SKV India #1. We are gratified because it’s another validation of the work we have been doing for the past several years. In SKV, we believe in according highest priority to the welfare and development of our teachers who provide individual attention to our girls. Therefore, I am very pleased that we have been awarded the highest score under both these parameters. We maintain a teacher-pupil ratio of 1:10 and believe in giving every student a voice, which makes us a totally student-centric school. Our top score under infrastructure is also very satisfying as we have fully re-constructed our academic block behind the old façade and equipped it with 35 air-conditioned classrooms and eight separate labs for STEM, robotics, art, entrepreneurship and culinary science. In addition, our top score for safety and hygiene and high scores under pastoral care and mental and emotional well-being services, are proof that we are providing excellent, high quality education to our children,” says Nishi Misra, a history and political science postgrad of Allahabad University, former principal of Vidya Devi Jindal School, Hisar and founder-principal of the Mayoor School, Bhopal (2007-2009) before she was appointed principal of SKV in 2014. It’s testimony to Misra’s able leadership that SKV ranked #22 by EW a decade ago has been consistently top ranked for the past five years. Currently, Scindia Kanya has 510 girl children mentored by 52 teachers on its muster rolls.
Beyond top table, the Top 10 girls boarding schools table has experienced minor rearrangement of the pecking order. Vidya Devi Jindal, Hisar has ceded place at #6 (cf. #5 in 2023-24) as has Hopetown Girls, Dehradun also co-ranked #6 (4).
Two schools which have been awarded small promotions are Mody School, Lakshmangarh (Rajasthan) to #7 (8) and Vantage Hall Girls, Dehradun also ranked #7 (9).
However, the biggest promotions in the EWISR Girls Boarding Schools league table 2024-25 have been awarded to the MCM Kothari International Girls Residential School, Valsad (Gujarat), vaulted to #8 (12) and the Guru Nanak Fifth Centenary Girls School, Mussoorie promoted to #10 (14).
Kush Sakaria, an alum of Sardar Patel (Gujarat) and Ballarat (Australia) universities and trustee of the Vallabh Shikshan Sangeet Ashram (estb.1949) that promoted the MCM Kothari International Girls Residential School, Valsad (MCMKI) in 2004, is delighted with the big jump from #12 in 2023-24 to #8 this year.
“It’s a happy and proud moment for all of us in MCMKI and the trust that our girls boarding school is ranked among the Top 10 nationally and #1 in Gujarat. I am especially pleased with our high scores under the parameters of academic reputation, individual attention to students and pastoral care because the philosophy of the trust which has established six education institutions with over 6,000 students in Gujarat, is to promote high-performance child-centric institutions. The high scores under individual attention to students and leadership are connected. Our Chairman Swami Hariprasad Dasji (96) visits every education institution of the trust every day to meet students and supervise operations. This culture of caring also accounts for our high score under the community service parameter,” says Sakaria. Currently, MCMKI has 450 girl children mentored by 40 teachers on its 12 acres campus in Valsad, a well-planned town in Gujarat’s rural belt.
Beyond the Top 10, several all-girls boarding schools have improved their rankings in this year’s league table of 21 girls boarding schools assessed by 8,700 sample respondents.
Among them, the Birla managed Ashok Hall Girls Residential School, Ranikhet (UP), promoted to #12 (from #15 in 2023-24) and Leeladevi Parasmal Sancheti English Medium Sr. Sec.
School, Pali (Rajasthan) to #14 (18). Feminists and progressive citizens can derive comfort that high quality girls boarding schools are being established in tier-II and III cities/towns across the country.
The biggest promotions have been awarded to MCM Kothari International Girls, Valsad (Gujarat) and Guru Nanak Fifth Centenary Girls School, Mussoorie