Sited in Dehradun’s hillside hamlet of Horawala overlooking the majestic Shivalik range of the Garhwal Himalayas is the verdant 40-acre fully residential Ecole Globale International Girls’ School (EGIGS, estb. 2012), ranked India’s #2 girls boarding school in the latest EW India School Rankings 2023-24.
Affiliated with the Delhi-based Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the UK-based Cambridge Assessment International Education, the class IV-XII EGIGS provides rigorous academic, sports and co-curricular education with excellent pastoral care to its 310 girl students — 37 of them international students from Canada, the USA, Europe, Africa, Nepal,
Bangladesh, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Middle East — mentored by 60 teachers on its muster rolls.
EGIGS was promoted in 2012 by well-known edupreneur Amarjeet Juneja under the aegis of the Asian Educational Charitable Trust – which also runs and manages The Asian School, a day-cum-boarding school in Dehradun — with the vision to “empower girl children to discover their intellectual, creative and physical potential to embrace the 21st century”.
- Experiential learning, interdisciplinary activities and art have been integrated with the EGIGS curriculum, as per the recommendations of the National Education Policy 2020.
- Well-planned and supervised experiential learning programmes are organised once a week to enable students to connect theory with practice.
- EGIGS teachers have adopted IT-enabled project-based learning and flipped classroom pedagogies to encourage academic inquiry and self-directed learning.
- Weekly departmental meetings are held to discuss fortnightly lesson plans to enable teachers to deliver engaging teaching-learning experiences.
- The school management accords high importance to teacher welfare and development with teachers provided continuous professional development (CPD) opportunities throughout the year including in-house, CBSE and Cambridge organised workshops.
- The school follows a comprehensive student evaluation system combining formative and summative assessments to improve student learning outcomes.
Technology Integration A+
- EGIGS’ 40-acre campus hosts state-of-the art academic infrastructure with all 26 classrooms and its hi-tech I-MAC and Windows Computer labs equipped with interactive whiteboards, projectors, laptops and WIFI connectivity.
- The school made a seamless transition during the pandemic from traditional to virtual classrooms. Virtual classes are still conducted for senior students during vacations through sharing of learning material on Google classrooms, Quizlet, and Mathkind.
- The school’s advanced technological ecosystem incorporates Vedanta ERP for streamlining academic and administrative operations.
- A dedicated 1:1 250 MBPS lease line ensures high-speed internet access.
- All students are provided with I-PADs to assist in projects/assignments completion, and collaborative learning. Teachers also use a host of online resources to enhance student engagement.
- Advanced surveillance cameras are installed throughout the campus to ensure safety and security of students.
Enabling Infrastructure A+
- EGIGS’ 40-acre aesthetically designed campus houses a well-equipped wi fi-enabled academic wing comprising 26 ICT-enabled classrooms, a well-stocked library and five science and computer labs, five spacious boarding houses, and world-class sports infrastructure.
- The school’s infirmary is manned by a full-time doctor and 4 nurses, and a standby ambulance service in case of emergencies.
- Residential facilities include sun-lit air-conditioned modern dormitories with attached bathrooms and recreation corners. Healthy vegetarian and non-vegetarian school meals are provided to students, teachers and support staff in a modern 300-seat dining hall.
- EGIGS is committed to transforming into a zero-emissions campus by 2028. The eco-friendly campus hosts a solar water heating plant and a water recycling plant.
- The campus highlight is a 7 ft tall statue of Buddha surrounded by aerial roots of a Banyan tree which exudes an aura of peace and enlightenment.
Student Achievement & Support A+
- The school has consistently recorded 100 percent pass percentage in CBSE and Cambridge board exams
- A full-time special educator monitors children with learning difficulties. Personalised remedial classes are conducted after school hours.
- EGIGS’ Career Cell guides class IX students to make optimal higher education and career choices. Counsellors also assist students in higher education admission applications processes.
- Enrichment and remediation classes are conducted daily for all students with special thrust on those writing board exams.
- The school’s behavioural counselor ensures students’ emotional and mental well-being.
- A multilayered system of pastoral care — house mistress, house mother, matron, house tutors, counselors – ensures boarders well-being.
- Periodic health check-ups are conducted to ensure students’ physical well-being.
- Special emphasis on life skills education and development of collaboration, teamwork, resilience and communication skills of girl students.
Sports and Co-curricular Education A+
- To enable holistic development of its girl students, EGIGS offers a plethora of sports facilities. Among them: a state-of-the-art rifle shooting range, a 9-horse stable, an Olympic size swimming pool, squash, basketball, tennis and volleyball courts, table tennis room, a 200m athletics track and five playing grounds supported by a team of 12 NIS-Patiala certified coaches.
- EGIGS teams have won several inter-school, district, state, zonal, national and international trophies in sports events.
- Co-curricular education is integrated into the curriculum with students encouraged to learn music, dance, arts and craft, yoga among others. The school also offers students membership of 15 clubs to develop their multiple intelligences.
- Community service is integral to school life. Recently students conducted a series of seminars at the neighbouring Government Inter College School on cleanliness, gender equality and women’s empowerment. Students also contribute books to the Community Library Project.
- EGIGS has partnered with IAYP (International Award for Young People) to enable its students to participate in annual adventure camps. Tent pitching, swimming, cycling, and obstacle courses are among popular activities at IAYP camps.
Facts File
Estb. 2012
Board: CBSE & Cambridge International
Girls, class IV-XII
Campus size: 40 acres
Students: 310
Teachers: 60
Teacher-student ratio: 1:5
Special needs education: Yes
Admission deadline: September (mid-week)
Admission age: 8+
Registration process: Online
Seats-applications ratio: 1:15
Annual fees (tuition + boarding): Rs.961,000
Medical care centre: Yes
School meals: Yes
Encomiums
- Kritika Banka, a class X student, won gold in the 50m freestyle, silver in the 50m breaststroke and bronze in 50m Butterfly stroke events at the State Swimming Championship 2023
- In 2018, Forbes ranked EGIGS the #1 school in North India
- Vanshita Jaiswani, a class XII student, won a gold medal in the 100m backstroke and silver in the 50m backstroke events at the District Swimming Championship 2023
- In 2022, the EGIGS team was runner-up in the Under-18 District Basketball Championship and MIS Inter-School Basketball Championship in Mussoorie.
- Two former head girls Aashi Khetan (batch of 2022) and Ayat Azim (2019) secured 100 percent scholarships to the University of Melbourne and New York University respectively.
- In 2018, EGIGS won the Times Education Icon Awards for ‘Best Residential Girls School in India’
- In 2017, Guntash Obhan, a class XII student, achieved an outstanding score of 99 percent, securing third position in Uttarakhand and fifth nationwide in the class XII CBSE board exam.
EGIGS LEADER
Principal
A history postgrad of Presidency University, Kolkata and a trained IB educator, Kanchan Madhav Khandke was appointed principal of Eole Globale International Girls’ School in May 2023. She has three decades of rich teaching and admin experience in some of India’s most prestigious schools (Mayo College Girls’ School, Ajmer, the Hutchings High School, Indus International School, National Defence Academy — all in Pune, and Welham Girls’ School, Dehradun) serving in senior leadership roles.
Among her recent educational initiatives are prioritizing the well-being of EGIGS students and teaching staff by introducing wellness and mental health support programs and establishing an entrepreneurship incubator on campus to encourage students to explore innovative ideas and participate in projects. She passionately emphasizes the pivotal role of schools in fostering community unity and brotherhood, highlighting their vital duty in cultivating empathy among people. In her view, these endeavours are key to shaping a harmonious and compassionate society.