SSPS is the first CBSE-affiliated English-medium school in the under-served Beed district of Maharashtra. In the latest EW India School Rankings 2022-23, it is ranked among the state’s Top 10 day-cum-boarding schools, writes Dipta Joshi

SITED ON A GREEN 35-acre campus in the educationally under-served Marathwada region of Maharashtra’s Beed district (pop.2 million), the co-ed Shiv Sharda Public School, Gadhi, Georai (SSPS, estb.2003) has acquired a good reputation for providing integrated academic, sports and co-curricular ed­ucation to its 879 students — includ­ing 184 boarders — mentored by 46 well-qualified teachers. In the latest EW India School Rankings 2022-23, this CBSE-affiliated class I-X school is ranked among Maharashtra’s Top 10 day-cum-boarding schools.

Promoted by the Georai-based Jagadamba Shikshan Prasarak Man­dal trust (JSPM, regstd.1991) founded by visionary philanthropist and for­mer Maharashtra revenue minister Shivajirao Pandit, SSPS is the first English-medium class I-X school in the taluka. It draws students from neighbouring Aurangabad, Jalna, La­tur and Osmanabad districts. Current­ly the trust, managed by Shivajirao’s sons Amarsinha and Jaisingh, runs 37 educational institutions across Maha­rashtra with an aggregate enrolment of 16,000 students.

“The objective of my father and founder-chairman, Shivajirao Pandit, was to provide children in Georai and neighbouring villages, access to high-quality English medium education blending rigorous academics with a wide range of sports, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities to nurture and develop their potential and holis­tic personalities. The motto of SSPS ‘Win the World’ encapsulates our founder’s belief in the power of high-quality education to develop children into leaders of change. To enable our students to pursue higher education in institutions of national repute, this year we have affiliated SSPS with the Delhi-based Central Board of Secondary Education,” says Jaisingh Pandit, an alum of the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University and secretary of JSPM.

Deeply influenced by Prof. How­ard Gardner’s theory of multiple in­telligences, JSPM trustees and the SSPS management enable students to access diverse activities to discover, enhance, refine and showcase their innate talents. “Among our newly introduced programmes are scouts and guides and the International Award for Young People. Moreover we have designed a special leadership programme for high school students. Prefects in particular, are given re­sponsibility to manage the school’s pupil welfare, cultural affairs and pub­lic relations programmes. The school also regularly organises teacher training workshops to ensure their continuous professional development,” says N.P. Datta, principal of SSPS since 2019. A commerce postgraduate of North Bengal University, Sili­guri, Datta acquired three decades of valuable teaching and admin experi­ence in the CISCE-affiliated Father Le Blond School, Siliguri and The Assam Valley School, Balipara, prior to sign­ing up with SSPS three years ago.

The school’s wi-fi enabled campus which is under 24/7 CCTV surveil­lance, houses 44 spacious and well-ventilated classrooms including four Smart classrooms which students at­tend by rotation, composite science, computer and maths laboratories, an audio-visual resources room and a library with 1,421 print volumes and seven journal subscriptions. The resi­dential block hosts separate hostels for 184 junior and senior students, a 1,000-seat dining hall, a 24×7 infir­mary staffed by qualified personnel, and an ambulance service for emer­gencies. Moreover, a well-qualified school counselor and teachers provide pastoral care services to boarders.

Personality development co-curric­ular education is strongly encouraged. The school offers 22 activities ranging from animal care, journalism, pho­tography and public speaking among others, and children are encouraged to sign up for hobby clubs of their choice.

Sports facilities include separate grounds for football, cricket, basket­ball, volleyball and badminton courts and table tennis. “Sports education is high priority on the SSPS agenda. Coached by trained professionals, our under-14 and under-17 football teams routinely win district and divisional championships. Some students have also worn Maharashtra colours and some have been selected for special coaching by the Sports Authority of India,” says Datta.

Moreover, community develop­ment programmes include outreach initiatives in neighbouring villages where students teach children basic literacy and spread awareness about women’s health and rights issues.

Because of the management’s com­mitment to balanced, holistic educa­tion and teacher training, Datta is confident that the school’s first batch readying to write the CBSE class X ex­ams, will come up trumps. “Our stu­dents are attending special workshops and Sunday classes. This is augment­ed by the school’s faculty providing advanced coaching to prepare them for science Olympiads and state tal­ent search examinations,” adds Datta.

With SSPS’ star in the ascendant in the annual EW India School Rank­ings, and 2:1 applications to admis­sion ratio, the school’s trustees have green-lighted an SSPS replica in Navi Mumbai which is in the last stage of construction. “We also plan to open three pre-primary schools in and around Beed district to serve as feeder schools,” says JSPM trustee Jaisingh Pandit.

ADMISSION & FEES

• Shiv Sharda Public School, Beed is a CBSE-affiliated class I-X co-ed day-cum-boarding school. Admis­sion applications into classes I-IX are invited between March-June. The school admits boarders from class I onwards.
• Tuition fee (annual): Rs.24,000- 30,000 (day scholars); Rs.54,000- 66,000 (boarders)
• For further information, contact +91 94039 80599/95118 98270, email: ssps_2000@yahoo.co.in

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