India’s Best International Day-cum-Boarding Schools 2018-19
EducationWorld September 2018 | Cover Story Magazine
International Day-cum-Boarding Schools have become the preferred choice of SEC ‘A’ households aspiring for international K-12 certification and holistic education experiences for their children. Here are India’s Best International Day-cum-Boarding Schools 2018-19. Within the broad category of international schools (defined as primary-secondaries affiliated with offshore examination boards), international day-cum-boarding schools are highly fancied because they offer the best of both worlds — day and boarding options. Invariably sited on sprawling campuses in the outskirts of the country’s major metros and state capitals, and equipped with excellent academic and sports infrastructure, they have become the preferred choice of the multiplying number of upper middle class, SEC ‘A’ households aspiring for international K-12 certification and holistic education experiences for their children. Since 2013 when schools separately ranked in the day, boarding and international categories in the annual EW India School Rankings were sub-divided into ten separate categories to eliminate apples and oranges comparisons, the international day-cum-boarding school league table has been dominated by the Indus International School, Bangalore (IIS-B, estb.2003), which was also ranked #1 in the undivided category of international schools in 2012. For a record seventh year, this year’s sample respondents comprising 3,155 parents, educationists, principals and teachers in south India have voted the IB and CAIE-affiliated IIS-Bangalore India’s #1 international day-cum-boarding school by a wide margin. Another Bangalore-based day-cum-boarding school Greenwood High International is ranked #2 for the second consecutive year jointly with Pathways World School, Aravali, Gurgaon. It’s also pertinent to note that the Indus domination of this league table is not limited to IIS-B. Two affiliated Indus International Schools in Pune and Hyderabad, masterminded by the Indus Trust, Bangalore (estb.2003) chief executive Lt. Gen (Retd.) Arjun Ray, are ranked among the Top 10. “We are elated that IIS-B has retained its #1 position for the seventh consecutive year in this increasingly competitive category. I believe our commitment to continuous improvement and innovation to create self-directed learners equipped with 21st century critical thinking and problem solving skills, has favourably impacted your informed sample respondents. Recently, IIS-B became the first school in India to introduce a robot as learning companion in some of our classrooms. Robots will deliver routine syllabus content which will enable teachers to focus on developing higher order thinking and life skills of our students. Moreover, there is spreading awareness of the globally benchmarked teacher development programmes we deliver to our own and other teachers through our widely acclaimed Indus Training & Research Institute,” says Sarojini Rao, an economics and education alumna of Pune and Annamalai universities and principal of IIS-B. Currently, IIS-B has an enrolment of 1,113 students including 246 boarders from 29 countries around the world, mentored by 132 highly-qualified teachers. While IIS-B, Greenwood and Pathways have consolidated their position among India’s Top 3 international day-cum-boarding schools, there’s a rearrangement of seating at the Top 5 table. Canadian International School, Bangalore has risen in public esteem to be ranked #3 (#5 in 2017), but Genesis Global School, Noida, at #4 (3) and The International…