Schools in Pune, India DPS, ST MARY's, BISHOPS, LEXICON, VIBGYOR.....
By Madhurie Singh, July 23, 2008
Admission time in Pune is harrowing experience for all parents trying to select a school for their kid. I made the blunder of not taking admissions for my kid in Jr kg = nursery.
So when Nov 2007 arrived, I was all geared to get my kid admitted into Delhi Public School, Pune. Its a Co-ed school and CBSE board is followed there. Having done the same board made sense.
The website dpspune.com did not display any information till the first week of November 2007. Then the website mentioned that admissions for all classes except above 1st STD were open.
The forms were available in the office of DPS School, in NIBM road. When I went there sharp at 10:00 am, there was chaos and crowd. I was handed a token numbered 125. The attendant at the gate added to the confusion by telling us that those who have not got the birth certificate will not be given forms. I was furious as it was not mentioned in their site. SO I made my way upto the lady giving away the admission forms. She clarified the confusion and said that only for parents who were submitting the form right there, had to produce all required documents.
I filled a small strip of paper saying that I was interested in prep class for my kid, but to date no one has called me yet. Their admission fee in Rs 50000/- non refundable. And monthly tuition fee is Rs 2800/- . The Bus fee is Rs700 which is compulsory.
The next school I went into was Vibgyor High, on NIBM Road again. This school was right next to a residential complex which was still under construction. The other side of the school has Country club coming up. Hence the small premises of the school definitely will remain small due to lack of expansion land. The play area out of school is quite small and non impressive.
The school class rooms were quite impressive, with colorful walls, furnitures and decorations done by teachers and students. I was impressed by the coordinator and the teachers. They were dynamic and had beautiful english accent. The school was well organized and categorized. Kids upto upper kg are given snacks by the school. I loved the teaching methodology too which was very practical. They follow IB international board and then kids have an option to switch to ICSE in 7th STD, but the fee was humungous.
Non refundable admission fee of Rs15000/- The tuition fee was Rs 7000/- month for first term made of 3 months. The bus fee was also huge. Rs1000/- month. The timing too did not justify the fee. For Kg classes it was 9.00 am to 1.00 pm. If they could reduce the fee structure or increase the duration of stay , then the fee taken made sense. The fee varies for next terms. And they charge Rs 2166/month rest of quarters. I guess, the money is made in the first quarter by the school to cover up for the losses due to kids leaving school once they get admissions elsewhere.
The next school I went to was Bishops School, Undhri. Thankfully they had mentioned clearly that there were no admissions for upper kg this year in Kalyani Nagar or Camp branches. Only Undhri branch had admissions open for all classes upto Xth. But again the school teachers were not very impressive. The school was more strict than welcoming. Again the admission form is filled and accepted online only. This avoids all chaos. The form is available in the month of Nov first week onwards. You get a code online again, which has to be produced in while filling registration form. Based on the criteria Bishops school calls kids for interview and within the month of dec all admission process is done. I have no clue of the fee structure. They follow ICSE board. The timing is ok too.
The next school I went to was Lexicon international school at wagholi. The school has lovely green landscaped premises. I was at peace to see the cool n calm serene atmosphere. And pleasantly surprised to see 3-4 kids sitting under the tree with a teacher, studying or playing. But all my calmness dashed to the ground when I entered the principal’s office. The office was a shabby four walled room with a dirty table and a few chairs. I was very saddened to feel the managements approach towards the principal. The principal too was quite non dynamic and unimpressive. So were the teachers. Their pronunciations were horrible. One of the teacher remarked that their students know more in computers than the teachers! She did the worst damage to her school.
The fee was not exorbitant. The admission fee of Rs 15000/- non refundable and Rs 3100/month was the tuition fee. The bus fee was Rs 700/-. They follow IB and planning to start ICSE too.
The next school I went was Sharad Pawar International School, at Lohegaon. This was a breathtaking experience for eyes and mind and all the senses. The structure is as grand as Rashtrapati Bhavan! The school is a perfect school in all angles.
Also they are open for admission all round the year.The last school I have tried and finally managed to apply for the admissions is St Mary’s school. They are all boys and all girls separately. The Boys start early at 7.00 am and girls at 9.00 am. The School is near camp and is beautifully located like a perfect our time schools. They have huge playground and lots of greenery. The school follows ICSE board. The admission is last amongst all other city schools.
In the month of January third week, they have online admission forms. You get a token online and you have to register after a week in the school office. Then they display short listed kids online. These kids and parents have to go thru aptitude test and interview respectively. The school takes Rs 1000/- non refundable admission fee. The tuition fee is Rs 1000/month.
Playschool and Kindergarten Pre Schools in Pune !!!!!!!!!!
DPS MANAGEMENT is Excellent !!!!
DPS PUNE SCHOOL, A Benchmark !!!!!!
Yippy my son got through ST MARY’S SCHOOL Pune, India !