What you see – The school exudes a positive energy at the very first sight. As MetroMela entered we were guided to a sitting area on the ground level. The kindergarten classes and their play area are on the same level so it was quite delightful for us to watch the cherubic faces of tiny tots playing in a sand pit completely oblivious to their surroundings.

        

Located in Vimannagar, the school has about six levels. They have a basketball court as well inside the school. The waiting area is colored in splashes of red, yellow and blue. The bright colors are reflected even in the attitude of the staff members, who are full of enthusiasm, courteous and well-informed about each and every nook in the school.

 

What you get - The school belongs to the Symbiosis University which is an acclaimed center for education. They constantly emphasize on their objective - Vasudev Kutumbakam - which means the world is one family. Not a different story here as well as you get to see hordes of children from different countries and therefore cultures, coming together and learning under one roof. We even saw some Korean kids in kurta pyjamas preparing for an Indian program.

 

They offer an International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum which is divided into Primary years program (3-12 years of age i.e. from kindergarten to the fifth), Middle years program (MYP) (11-16 years of age i.e. sixth to the tenth), Diploma years program (16-19 years of age i.e. eleventh and the twelfth standard). For the ninth and tenth standards they offer an International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) syllabus from University of Cambridge. Both the courses MYP and IGCSE are complementary and provide international qualification at the end of the tenth academic year.

 

Along with the different disciplinary subjects, 150 hours of community service is expected from the students where they interact with kids from orphanages, slums and various homes. To enhance their creativity and break the monotony they have dramatics room, rhythmic class where all kinds of western and Indian vocal and instrumental training is imparted and voluminous libraries in every level. We especially loved their tiny tots’ library with stars and rainbows painted on the walls and flooring. It is aptly nicknamed as Taare Zameen Par by the kids here.

 

That’s not all. They have a state-of-art medical center with a doctor on the campus and all the students have to undergo an annual medical check and are even medically insured.

 

The fee for the kindergarten is Rs. 46,500 while the PYP fees are Rs. 2.18 lakhs, MYP is for Rs. 2.91 lakh, and the diploma program where a laptop is also given is for Rs. 4.17 lakh. The fees are inclusive of their uniform which is a smart white shirt and beige trousers or checkered skirts. It also includes sports uniform comprising shorts and T-shirts along with sweaters and blazers. Meals are offered too and they have an impressive multi-cuisine cafeteria which serves clean and delicious vegetarian food. There are hostel facilities available too for the students of the Diploma Program. 

 

Our verdict – We liked what we saw. Even the different banners of Save Electricity and Global Warming put up by the kids on the walls. The teaching staff is extremely helpful and knowledgable. Some of them are quite young and have tried to introduce new ways of teaching along with the experienced teachers. What was missing was a playground that they are coming up with soon.

Anytime between - 8.30 AM -12.30 PM (Kindergarten)

                                8.30 AM - 4.30 PM (up till 10^th standard)