Promoted in 1978, VS has earned a well-deserved reputation in the national capital for providing holistic, values-based, culturally-rooted education to its 4,600 students, writes autar nehru

Named after Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), India’s most influential philosopher-seer and social reformer, Vivekanand School, Delhi (VS, estb.1978) has earned a well-deserved reputation in the national capital for providing holistic, values-based, culturally-rooted K-12 education to its 4,600 students tutored by 200 teachers. Sited on a four-acre campus in the upscale Anand Vihar suburb, the co-ed VS is affiliated with the Delhi-based Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). In the latest EW India School Rankings 2022-23, VS is ranked among Delhi’s Top 60 co-ed day schools with high scores on the parameters of academic reputation, faculty competence and co-curricular education.

Promoted in 1978 by Y.D. Ahuja, a former mayor of Delhi (1988-89), under the aegis of Vivekanand Shiksha Samiti (regstd. as a society in 1978), VS began its innings as a cluster of 13 neighbourhood private schools scattered across residential colonies in the trans-Yamuna area. In 1987, the society was allotted a four-acre plot in Anand Vihar by the Delhi Development Authority, after which all affiliates were merged to form the Vivekanand School in 1989. In addition, the society owns and manages a primary school with 400 students in Preet Vihar, 5 km from its main campus.

“Education at Vivekanand School is deeply rooted in the belief that children develop optimally when delivered a balanced education combining rigorous academics with latest pedagogies supplemented by sports, co-curricular and most important, values education. Therefore, while our education philosophy is firmly anchored in Indian culture, spiritualism and traditions, our curriculum and pedagogies are contemporary, integrating newest technologies and best global practices,” says Pradyumn Ahuja, an engineering alumnus of IP University, Delhi, who took charge as chairman of the school in 2016 from Ahuja senior, who had steered it for 38 years.

Since his appointment as chairman seven years ago, Ahuja has introduced several teaching-learning, student support and well-being innovations. “All our systems and processes are being re-directed towards a student-first approach. For instance, we have recently issued a directive under which every student is obliged to participate in academic and co-curricular activities in a micromanaged enabling classroom environment and several mapped appreciation and recognition events. This has resulted in improved learning outcomes across the board,” he says.

The school’s comprehensive education philosophy and student-centred systems have paid off handsomely. VS students have consistently excelled in academics. In the recently concluded 2023 CBSE class X exam, the average score of the 358-strong cohort was 77 percent and in the class XII boards, the average score of students was 80 percent with 126 students averaging above 90 percent. Moreover, 13 students cleared the IIT-JEE Advanced this year, and an average of ten students have been securing scholarships every year in the highly competitive Mukhyamantri Vigyan Pratibha Pariksha Scheme (MVPPS), a scholarship programme of the Delhi government to promote science subjects among secondary students.

Progressive pedagogies, rigorous curriculum and well-trained teachers apart, the school’s four-acre campus is equipped with enabling academic infrastructure and facilities. The main four-storey building houses 94 spacious natural-lit LED-fitted classrooms, well-equipped science, maths and language labs, an Atal Tinkering Lab, music and dance rooms and a library housing 18,374 volumes. A campus landmark is the 650-seat auditorium which hosts the school’s popular TEDx and other events. Sports facilities include a gym, dedicated grounds for football and cricket, basketball, volleyball, tennis and badminton courts, plus a multipurpose hall for indoor sports and yoga. Other distinctive campus facilities include an ideation room, Energy Centre for Yoga, Montessori Lab, Vigyantra Centre for Science, Sculpture Hub and a curated garden.

According to Ahuja, the school’s differentiating feature is the high priority accorded to co-curricular and life skills education. Students are encouraged to participate in a host of cultural activities including Founder’s Day, Sankalpana (Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary), VivMun (Vivekanand Model United Nations), Maths Olympiad, Kalam Week featuring science-related events, among others. “One of our prime objectives is to educate the heart and instill compassion, patriotism and community service within our students. Towards this end, VS students participate in experiential projects such as Pragati to support children with disabilities, Sahas to teach self-defence to girl children in the neighbourhood, and a monthly community kitchen,” says Ahuja adding that the school is among a handful in the country to incorporate the Japanese Shin Holistic Learning Program to improve children’s logic and reasoning skills.

Ahuja is bullish about the future of this school which is currently celebrating “45 years of excellence in education”. “While we remain true to Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy of grooming compassionate, sincere, patriotic citizens grounded in the Indian ethos and spiritualism, we are also committed to introducing best teaching-learning innovations from around the world to ensure our students remain a step ahead and are equipped with the skills to succeed in a constantly disruptive world,” says Ahuja.

ADMISSION & FEES

Vivekanand School is a K-12 CBSE-affiliated co-ed day school. Admission into pre-primary and class I section opens in December, and for class XI in May-June.
Tuition fees: Rs.57,000-73,000 per year
For further information, call +91 11 46516983, e-mail: [email protected] or visit www.vivekanandschool.in

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