Although there is little evidence of the long promised poriborton (change) in the state’s education system, spared the regulatory attention of the neta-babu brotherhood, fully autonomous private pre-primaries are thriving in Kolkata. Here are Kolkata’s top-ranked preschools 2017-18:

In 2011 when the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) routed the CPM (Communist Party of India)-led Left Front government in the West Bengal legislative assembly election, ending 34 years of uninterrupted communist rule in the state, it promised poriborton (change) in the state’s education system. Returned to power in 2016 for a second consecutive term, the TMC reaffirmed its promise of radical reform and upgradation of West Bengal’s education sector, decimated by over three decades of communist rule. Unfortunately, seven years later the TMC government has done little to initiate root and branch reform of the state’s school and higher education systems plagued by teacher recruitment scandals and rampant campus violence. 

However, within the early childhood care and education (ECCE) sector, which is spared the regulatory attention of the huge army of notoriously extortionist government inspectors and levelling down politicians countrywide, fully autonomous private pre-primaries in Kolkata, the state’s admin capital, are thriving. With rising awareness within the city’s middle class of the importance of high-quality ECCE in preparing children to derive the full benefit of school and higher education, during the past decade a rising tribe of edupreneurs have promoted contemporary pre-primaries — proprietary and franchised — offering professionally delivered ECCE to young parents in this eastern metropolis (pop. 15 million).
 
Proprietary/owned

For the past four years, Mongrace Montessori House (MMH), Short Street has effortlessly held on to its ranking as Kolkata’s #1 preschool. However this year, the city’s 627 sample respondents comprising 548 parents with children in pre-primaries and 79 principals/teachers have voted it the city’s #1 proprietary preschool with a substantially reduced victory margin. The pre-primary that is giving one of Kolkata’s oldest preschools (estb. 1964) a run for its money is the affiliated Mongrace Montessori House, New Town (estb. 2010) which has steadily climbed up the league table of Kolkata’s most admired preschools from #7 in 2014 to #3 in 2016 and is ranked #2 this year.

“We are very happy that both our branches — Short Street and New Town — are ranked #1 and #2 in Kolkata. This has been made possible by our committed team of teachers who continuously strive for excellence; our ever willing-to-learn children and involved parents, and the continuous support of Shanta Ghosh, managing trustee of the Suresh Amiya Memorial Trust which runs both our preschools. I’m particularly pleased with MMH’s top rank for teacher competence and development as it’s acknowledgement of our special focus on continuous teacher training. As one of the city’s first Montessori pre-primaries, we have also taken the lead in raising ECCE standards by helping to set up the Kolkata chapter of the Early Childhood Association this year. We also run an afternoon shift for under-privileged children and have made plans to adopt a government anganwadi,” says Suman Sood, a graduate of Panjab and Calcutta universities who took charge as principal of MMH, Short Street in 2011. Currently, this pre-primary has 300 students mentored by 30 teachers.

Chandrika Ramakrishnan, founder-principal of MMH, New Town, is equally delighted with the rapid upward mobility of this seven-year-old preschool in Kolkata’s proprietary pre-primaries league table and the #1 rank awarded to it this year on the parameters of innovative teaching, individual attention to students and parental involvement. “Mongrace, New Town was modeled on the Short Street branch and I’m elated that we have been able to successfully adopt and implement the best practices of the city’s pioneer preschool. Our top rank for innovative teaching and individual attention to students is recognition of our teachers’ determined efforts to innovate within the Montessori framework and work for the holistic development of our children,” says Ramakrishnan, an alumna of Madras University and former primary teacher at Birla High School, Kolkata. 

While there’s minimal upheaval at the apex level, further down the league table there’s been a massive churning. The previously #16 ranked Little Steps School, Garden Reach has spectacularly rocketed to #3 while Tulipians, Dover Lane has risen in public esteem from #10 in 2016 to #4 this year. The entry of these two pre-primaries has pushed Prarambh, BT Road to #5 (#2 in 2016), a rank it shares with the newly promoted Swarnim International Preschool (SIP), NSC Bose Road which has parachuted into the Top 5 table. Promoted last year by Swati Sarawagi, a psychology and education postgrad of Andhra and James Cook (Australia) universities and managing committee member of the city’s top-ranked Heritage School, SIP is ranked #2 — across both proprietary and franchised categories — on the parameter of infrastructure provision. 

“We are delighted with this honour in our very first year of operations. I attribute this to the efforts of the management who have given Swarnim an excellent start by way of an innovative curriculum integrating best practices from Montessori, Waldorf and Reggio Emilia ECCE philosophies; well-qualified and trained teachers and state-of-the-art infrastructure. Swarnim offers bright cheerful classrooms with flexible seating to promote children’s sensory development, a sand pit, splash pool, trampoline, air-conditioned activity area, garden and a 500 sq. ft walk-through an aviary and pets zone with exotic birds, rabbits and guinea pigs. Safety and hygiene is also a top priority — we are one of the few preschools in the city to receive the ISO 9001-2008 and fire safety certification. I believe our unique pedagogy based on hands-on learning and collaborative play in a safe and happy learning environment has helped this year-old preschool make an impressive debut in the EW league table,” says Swati Sarawagi, founder of SIP, which has an enrolment of 81 children and six teachers. 

Further down the Top 10 league table of Kolkata’s most admired owned/proprietary preschools, several pre-primaries have gained and lost rank. Young Learners Montessori House, Salt Lake has risen in public esteem to #6 (#9 in 2016) as has Bubble Blue, Salt Lake, ranked #9 (11) and StarKids, Rajarhat, ranked #10 (12). Among the pre-primaries which have lost rank are Stepping Stone Montessori House, Salt Lake, ranked #7 (4) and Montessori Bal Nilaya, Lake Gardens at #8 (5).

The 23-strong league table of Kolkata’s best proprietary pre-primaries has also witnessed the debut of four previously unranked schools — Tulipians, Ballygunge (19), Leap Years Preschool, Bhawanipur (20), Bubble Blue, New Town (21) and Little Scholars, Sarat Bose Road (22) — indicating rising parental demand for professionally delivered early childhood care and education.

Franchised preschools

This year’s franchised preschools league table has experienced a major makeover. Except for the #1 position which has been retained by EuroKids, BJ Block, Salt Lake, there’s been dramatic reordering of seating at the Top 10 table. Kangaroo Kids, Salt Lake has leapfrogged from #9 last year to #2 in 2017-18 while EuroKids, BB Block, Salt Lake has retained its #4 position followed by Kangaroo Kids, Bangur Avenue at #5 (7). 

Significantly, six of the most admired preschools of Kolkata are franchisees of the Mumbai-based EuroKids International, a chain of over 900 franchised preschools countrywide and Kangaroo Kids, a chain of 100 franchised preschools across the country with the remainder dominated by franchisees of other national chains such as The Tree House, Kidzee and Little Millennium. Ranked #7 is the previously unranked Tree House, Salt Lake followed by Kidzee Tulip, Dover Lane, which has inched up to #7 (8). Tree House franchisees in Ballygunge and New Alipore have fallen in the public esteem to #8 (5) and #9 (3) respectively this year — presumably because of the franchiser Tree House Education and Accessories Ltd being embroiled in a financial scandal following which a merger with Zee Learn was called off last December. The Top 10 table is completed by Little Millennium, Girish Park which has retained its #10 ranking.

Sanchari Mukherji, an alumna of Delhi University and ICFAI, Gurgaon, who worked with the Hongkong Bank for seven years before promoting EuroKids, BJ Block in 2014, is elated about the preschool being voted Kolkata’s #1 franchised pre-primary for a second consecutive year, and also top-rated on six of the ten parameters of ECCE excellence including competence of teachers and individual attention to students. “I believe our top ranking is attributable to our hardworking teachers who give every child undivided attention. We strongly believe in quality and not quantity which is why we strictly adhere to the 1:10 teacher-child ratio. Moreover this year EuroKids BJ Block has joined hands with EuroKids BB Block to share best teaching-learning practices to encourage hands-on learning among children. We hope to start a primary section soon,” says Mukerji, centre head and partner of EuroKids, BJ Block which has an enrolment of 50 students (tuition fees: Rs.35,000 per year).

Likewise Vinita Chokhany, principal of Kangaroo Kids, Salt Lake, estb. 2009) is overjoyed with this preschool being promoted from #6 to #2 this year, and in particular its #1 rank on the parameter of safety and hygiene. “Wow, this is great news but we still have miles to go to be ranked #1. I believe the credit for our improved ranking must go to our dedicated and hardworking teachers, our directors who constantly encourage us to take on new challenges and our policy of reviewing parents’ feedback. We are also very happy to be ranked #1 on the very important parameter of safety and hygiene as in early childhood education the safety of young children is paramount. Parents trust us as we provide a happy and secure environment where children learn without fear,” says Chokhany, a graduate of Shri Shikshayatan College, Kolkata and former teacher at Stepping Stone Montessori House, Salt Lake.

The 13-strong league table of Kolkata’s most respected franchised pre-primaries is completed by TIME Kids Preschool, BD Block, Salt Lake at #11, Kangaroo Kids Bhawanipur and Maple Bear Canadian Preschool, Salt Lake which have debuted at #12 and #13 respectively.