Sarala Birla Academy, ranked the number 2 Boys’ Boarding School in the country by EducationWorld, is the brainchild of Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, the chairman of The Aditya Birla Group. It is named after the late Dr. Sarala Birla, his grandmother. An eminent educationist, Dr. Sarala Birla has made immense contribution to the field of education over the last many decades in a very quiet, low-profile-way. Guided by her vision, the family runs some of the best schools in the country. According to her, “Knowledge for the sake of knowledge without benefitting fellow beings is a dead end and only leads to the blind alley of frustration. Education is a meaningless ritual, unless it moulds the character of students and imparts in them a strong sense of values. Educational institutions have to ensure that students are so educated that they are developed both physically and mentally to build a unique nation. We are proud of our ancient heritage and we have to ensure that our future is no less glorious.” Her vision is one of the guiding lights of SBA.
Sarala Birla Academy is spread over 64 acres of lush greenery with a vibrant learning culture, supported by splendid infrastructure. It aims to ignite minds and create in students a passion for learning and continuous development by making the learning process an enjoyable experience. The school’s mission is to help each student reach his full potential and develop in him a higher sense of self-esteem. It endeavours to equip each student with life skills that’d place him first among his equals, when he steps out into the real world. The school has classes from V to XII and is affiliated to the Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) for the IGCSE, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) for the ICSE and the ISC and the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) for the IBDP. The teachers are drawn from the best of schools and they use innovative teaching techniques, supported by modern technology to arouse the intellectual curiosity of the child. The students of the school follow higher education in some of the best Universities across the globe. Many of these Universities (in excess of 150) visit SBA every year and hold workshops and Education Fairs exclusively for its students.
Boarding House
SBA believes Academics is only a part of the overall Education that a child must have to grow up to be a truly successful young man. How they conduct themselves, articulate their vision, handle adverse circumstances, the humility with which they lead and, probably more than anything else, how they think, will be of at least as much importance as their academic result as they face the challenges outside; the requisite skills, the school strongly feels, can only come from a Boarding School system that promotes and supports them. Over the years SBA has put in place a system that allows the students to play a very active role in the functioning of the school. This stems from the understanding that it’s only when a child starts taking age-appropriate responsibilities and imbibes a sense of accountability, that he truly starts to develop.
This is the age of collaborative learning and functioning. Towards that end, the school provides multiple platforms for its students to express themselves. It’s a member of august bodies such as the Round Square, the IPSC (Indian Public Schools’ Conference), TAISI (The Association of International Schools of India) and the ASISC (Association of Schools for the Indian School Certificate). The school runs a vibrant IAYP (International Award for Young People) program under the aegis of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation and is also a YES (Youth Engaging Society) Centre. The school has been conferred the ISA (International School Award) by the British Council.
SBA considers the parents of its students extremely important stakeholders. Says Mr. Santanu Das, the Principal of the school, “We’ve come to realise that parents at home and parents here at school must forge a partnership in the education of the children under our care. Together we must create a generation of world citizens who will be well prepared to handle the ever-increasing challenges of sustaining what we call our world; together we must bring up our children so that they are ready to take charge of this Earth when it’s time for our generation to walk away into the sunset, secure in the knowledge that this beautiful blue planet of ours is in the ablest and the securest of hands, hands that we together have helped create.”
Not surprising that Sarala Birla Academy ranks so high in the consciousness of the parents across the country and beyond.
