The two-day celebratory EducationWorld India School Rankings Awards 2017-18 was the largest gathering of K-12 education leaders in Indian history. Over two days, 900-plus principals and trustees of India’s best schools networked and discussed issues of national importance – Summiya Yasmeen

The EW India School Rankings (EWISR) Awards 2017-18, which felicitated and celebrated India’s Top 1,000 ranked primary-secondary schools, at the Leela Ambience, Gurgaon on September 22-23, was the largest gathering of K-12 education leaders in Indian history. The two-day celebratory event was a rare occasion when such a large number of school leaders were afforded the opportunity to network and exchange best practices. Over two days, 900-plus principals, trustees, and senior teachers of India’s best day, boarding and international schools networked and discussed education issues of national importance on the sidelines of the EWISR Awards event, even as they were conferred national, state and city rankings among other awards as per the EducationWorld India School Rankings 2017-18 league tables published in early September — the largest schools rankings survey conducted worldwide.

Among the principals and education leaders who received awards on the occasion were Dr. Mahesh Prasad of Step by Step, Noida; Vanita Sehgal, DPS RK Puram; Nishi Misra, Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya, Gwalior; Zarene Munshi, Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Mumbai; Gunmeet Bindra, Welham Boys, Dehradun; Lt. Gen. Arjun Ray and Sarojini Rao of the Indus International School, Bangalore; and Ratna Reddy, CHIREC, Hyderabad.

Moreover on the occasion, Dr. Jagdish Gandhi, founder of the City Montessori School, Lucknow; Jayashree Mohta, chairperson of the Sarala Birla group of schools; Arun Kapur, director of the Vasant Valley School, Delhi and Dr. Deepak and Dr. Bharti Madhok, co-founders of the Varanasi-based Sunbeam Group of Educational Institutions were conferred the EW Outstanding Achievement in Education Leadership 2017 Award with special citations.

A highlight of EWISR 2017-18 was the presence of former India test cricketers Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan, and Dr. Mufazzal Lakdawala, the country’s most famous bariatric surgeon, as special invitees who presented awards and trophies to some top-ranked schools. 

The two-day awards presentation ceremony was prefaced by a keynote address ‘Computational thinking in K-12 education: Vital 21st Century Competency’ delivered by the Silicon Valley, USA-based Dr. Shuchi Grover. An alumna of BITS Pilani, Harvard and Stanford universities, a fellow of the National Science Foundation (USA), and former senior research scientist at SRI International Centre, a top-ranked American not-for-profit research institute, Dr. Grover is now all set to take charge as principal advisor of learning sciences at the new R&D division of ACT, the company that conducts America’s most popular college entrance exams.

Also on the agenda was conferment of the EW India Grand Jury Awards 2017-18 which were introduced last year. Over 50 low-profile and/or newly promoted schools were ranked and assessed in 11 categories by a specially constituted jury of eminent educationists, and conferred awards during EWISRA (see p.108). 

Our partners for the two-day event were education-sensitive corporates SmartClass Educational Services Pvt. Ltd; Infiniti Modules Pvt. Ltd; First in Math; Camlin Kokuyo Ltd; Mindler Education Pvt. Ltd; Enchantico and Afairs Exhibitions & Media Pvt. Ltd.

Also read: Top Schools of India: EducationWorld India School Rankings 2020-21