Legacy and modernity: What India's best boarding schools offer in education

Elite institutes aim to build students who are suited for the modern world and have a sense of tradition

Rohit Jaiswal passed out of Welham Boys School 28 years ago in Dehradun. "Those were the best years of my life. It was a combination of learning, fun, lessons for life and experiences to cherish,” says Jaiswal, who is president of the school’s alumni association.

Studying in a boarding school was “a lesson in living with a diverse group. We were taught the concept of a complete man wherein studies weren’t the only measure of success,” says Jaiswal, who is a businessman in Bhopal. 

Welhams and Doon School in Dehradun; Scindia School in Gwalior; Mayo College in Ajmer; and Lawrence School in Sanawar, Kasauli, rank among India’s best boarding schools. St Peter’s International is an independent coeducational residential school in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu. New Era High School is located in Panchgani, Maharashtra.

Most of these schools teach Classes 4 to 12 and they admit students after an exam or aptitude assessment in November followed by an interview. The schools are elite and expensive – clearly only the rich can afford them (the annual fee ranges between Rs 6 lakh and Rs 12 lakh).

“Welham Girls' School has been synonymous with producing individuals who embody its motto: 'Artta Shanti Phala Vidya' – the purpose of education is to bring peace to the suffering. Each student at Welham becomes a trailblazer in her own right," says Vibha Kapoor, the school’s principal. 

Studying in boarding schools

Parents believe boarding schools will make their children independent and confident, traits that supposedly would give them a better chance at getting into top colleges. These schools have a legacy and they are steeped in traditions. 

Dr Paramjeet Singh, consultant psychiatrist at PSRI Hospital in Delhi, says parents must have an "open discussion" with their children about sending them to boarding schools.

"Boarding or residential schools can be beneficial for the overall growth and learning of a child. In many ways boarding/ residential / gurukul like schools can foster higher learning in terms of camaraderie, bonding, teamwork, independence, better peer learning, social maturity and co-curricular activities,” says Singh.

Retired Lt Gen Surendra Kulkarni, director of Mayo College, says: “There are quite a few old schools and we are extremely proud of the legacy we have but we are equally agile to change, when need arises.” 

“We are a school on a sixth century fort,” says Ajay Singh, principal of the Scindia School. “And the entire existence on a historical fort makes education happen in a different way. You live in a period which talks about architecture, and a building which is more than hundred years old. We define a Scindian as a man of mettle, who is sensitive to anything and everything around him and who is rooted in the Sanskar and the Sanskriti of the country and can live in sync with nature.”

Most boarding schools have large campuses – Mayo is spread over 187 acres and Scindia School more than 100 acres – for sports and extracurricular activities.

“Boarding schools are even more relevant in today's era of digital distractions especially as boarding schools give equal weightage to sports and academics,” says Jaiswal.

Mayo is famous for its sports culture. “There are 20 sports [played in the school]. In the junior school from class 4 to 6, it is compulsory for every child to study theory of each and every sport so that as a player, observer, enthusiast they know the terminology. It is also mandatory to learn horse riding in junior school,” says Kulkarni.

Infra quality

Scindia School’s music band plays during India’s annual Republic Day celebrations in Delhi. “The band is a beautiful combination of skill, harmony, teamwork, collaboration by 45 children, music- everything coming together,” says Singh, the school’s principal.

“The experience of being at Welham Boys School was certainly the wonder years of my life and the training I received from my mentor in Art (Mr. Amit Basu Sir) has been perfectly instrumental in my progression as a visual artist,” says Saurabh Narang, a visual artist in Delhi. “Boarding school life results in formation of family-like ties amongst individuals and these ties go beyond the walls of an institution… deepen over time and extend beyond a single generation.” 

The schools charge a premium and though not luxurious they are functional and hygienic.

“For those looking for luxury, this is not the place and there is no 5-star culture. The boarding rooms are functional but not luxurious,” says Smita Chaturvedi, vice principal of Scindia School. “In fact our classrooms are air conditioned but the boarding houses are air cooled. We want kids to spend more time outside their rooms. We lay emphasis on adventure also –the idea is to push the children to develop inner and outer strength, stamina, resilience – there are so many lessons that they learn outside the classroom.”

Boarding school	Annual fees (approx., in Rs)
Doon School, Dehradun	11.95 lakh
Welham Girls' School, Dehradun	8.50 lakh
Scindia School, Gwalior	8.50 lakh
Mayo College, Ajmer	8-9 lakh
Sherwood School, Nainital	6.20 lakh
Rishi Valley School, Madanapalle, Andhra	5.15 lakh
The Lawrence School, Sanawar, Kasauli	6.35- 8.30 lakh

Source: School websites