A commitment to academic excellence

Ranchi, March 9: Every child is special and is entitled to extraordinary learning. This seems to be the motto of a new breed of high-end schools that have opened doors in the capital, driving it to the zenith of academic prowess.

In the past couple of years, big league institutions like Taurian World School and Sapphire International have come to town.

Corporate giants Usha Martin and Birla Group have joined the brand bandwagon recently. While the Sarala Birla Public School was inaugurated three months ago, classes at Usha Martin’s Namkum cradle will begin in April.

“Clearly, Ranchi is emerging as an academic hub. There always were good schools here, but now the commitment to academic excellence has increased. Our school offers admission sans written test or interview. Children are selected through mind games. We also use audio-visual teaching methods,” Raju Babu Sinha, vice-president, Usha Martin Education and Solutions Ltd, told The Telegraph.

Small towns across Jharkhand are looking up to Ranchi for quality education, a reason why corporate bigwigs are investing crores on world schools that promise to churn out global citizens, Sinha said.

The Taurian World School in Hatia features spacious classrooms that are equipped with a variety of state-of-the-art facilities. The campus boasts hi-tech laboratories, designated sports arenas, a dispensary, a library-cum-media centre, a book store and a canteen.

“We strive to inculcate in every child the habit of discovering, rather than just memorising. We have students from Delhi, Bengal, Bihar and the Northeast,” said Sulagna, head (business), Taurian World School.

Sapphire International is the first school in the state affiliated to the University of Cambridge International Examinations. “We have 300 students on our rolls. Infrastructure includes spacious classrooms, swimming pools, basketball, tennis and badminton courts, skating ring, soccer field et al,” said principal Anupama Singh.

Progressive environment and out-of-the-box methods of teaching are prompting more and more parents to compromise the burden of hefty tuition fee — anything between Rs 900 and Rs 2 lakh — to get their wards “world-class education”.

“Education in these new-age schools is a different experience altogether. Quality comes at a price, but I am glad my children are learning well,” summed up Nisha Kapoor, whose two daughters study at Sapphire International.