Vidya Devi Jindal School, Hisar (Haryana)

Promoted in 1984, the philosophy of Vidya Devi Jindal School, Hisar is to develop the potential of every student to become a beacon of social renewal and empowerment Sprawled over 47 green acres on the outskirts of Hisar (pop. 1.7 million), an industrial hub of the thriving state of Haryana (carved out of Punjab in 1966), Vidya Devi Jindal School (VDJS) is a CBSE affiliated residential school for girls. Promoted in 1984 with the objective of educating the girl child and empowering women, VDJS is an initiative of steel magnate the late Om Prakash Jindal (1930-2005). Over the past two decades this class IV-XII girls school, which is a member of the National Progressive Schools Conference, Indian Public Schools Conference and is affiliated with the British Council, Round Square (USA) and the United Nations Women‚ Empowerment movement, has built itself a global reputation. Currently the 700 students enrolled at VDJS include girls from Nepal, Bhutan, Indonesia, USA, Australia, and Canada. The philosophy of the school is to develop the potential of every student so that she becomes a beacon of social renewal and empowerment. “At VDJS a girl grows from being an individual into an institution who is the anchor of other institutions such as family, the economy and society. Here she learns to be of service and yet not be subservient. She learns to articulate her own needs and aspirations while fulfilling those of others. VDJS is a futuristic gurukul. A child learns to be rooted in tradition while developing an international outlook. Living in VDJS is preparing for life outside it,” says Gunmeet Bindra, the recently appointed principal of VDJS. An alumna of Calcutta and Punjab universities and the Delhi School of Economics, Bindra is the former founder principal of two Delhi Public Schools. Adds the school’s administrator Lt. Col A.K. Suri (retd.): “The distinguishing feature of VDJS is its unique blend of Indian ethos and culture with contem-porary teaching-learning pedagogies. Living with nature, respecting the environment, conserving energy and limited resources is second nature to our staff and students. Sharing a common boundary wall with Hisar Cantonment, VDJS is a safe residential school where girl children can grow into confident and well-balanced young women.” The school’s immaculate 47 acre campus includes a 38-classroom academic block, a utility block housing the learning resource centre, art gallery, sculpture lab, various science laboratories, dance, music and e-learning rooms, fashion studies, home science, and desktop computer labs, a 15,000-volume library, a large auditorium, health club, dining hall with a seating capacity of 1,000 students, 18 bed hos-pital, outdoor swimming pool, and four well-equipped hostels. A computer lab equipped with state-of-the-art laptops was inaugurated earlier this year. On the cusp of its silver jubilee year, VDJS has established extensive international linkages during the past two eventful decades. One of the five schools worldwide conferred the International School Award by the British Council in 2004, VDJS is an enthusiastic participant of the IAYP programme (International Award for Young People, earlier known as Duke of…