The Free Press Journal recently hosted its Mumbai School Survey awards at St Regis Hotel. Dignitaries from across the education space attended the awards show which was presided over by Deepak Kesarkar, Cabinet Minister for Ministry of Education, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and Ministry of Marathi Language. The guest of Honour for the evening was Keki Mistry, Vice Chairman and CEO of Housing Development Finance Corporation and the L’Invité d’Honneur was Niranjan Hiranandani, co-founder and managing director of Hiranandani Group.
Deepak Kesarkar, in his speech, made several important announcements exclusive to the academicians and the Free Press Journal. Among other announcements, the minister declared that skill education would now be imparted from Standard 6 onwards.
Keki Mistry, on the other hand said that the National Education Policy (NEP) would be a game changer in reforming our education sector. “The policy encourages holistic development at all levels including pre-schools, schools, and higher education,” he affirmed. Farzana Contractor, Editor and Publisher of UpperCrust, India’s popular food, wine and travel magazine and Dogs & More, a pet publication, gave away the awards along with Mistry.
Niranjan Hiranandani, who is closely associated with the education space was highly pleased with the way technology is shaping students’ lives. He mentioned that receiving the Free Press Journal’s Whatsapp edition was possibly the most convenient way of keeping abreast with news happenings, first thing in the morning. Hinandani was delighted to give away awards to the schools listed below.
Ryan Pereira, Regional Head, United States – India Educational Foundation (USIEF), Yogesh Dhingra, Founder and Director of CourseLeap Education and Consultant to various international schools and Deepali Nair, CMO, IBM also gave away awards.
Wang Yanhua, Deputy Consul General, China Consulate Mumbai, Joanna Irzyk, Wife of Polish Consul General in Mumbai and Ramesh Narayan, Director, Strategy of AFAA were also delighted to handover trophies to the winning schools..
Over 70 outstanding schools that shone the brightest in Mumbai’s academic circuit were felicitated and received their trophies from the above luminaries.
Unveiled on Teachers’ Day, Mumbai’s first ‘honest’ school survey was open to institutions across every education board in Mumbai, Thane, and Navi Mumbai. In a first, participating schools filled up the survey forms to substantiate their nomination with enough evidence. Jury members from all across the country, unfamiliar with the participating schools, made use of the submitted evidence and conducted peer reviews to prepare an unbiased list of outstanding schools.
A broad-minded approach towards the survey was necessary to keep the process honest. This is why FPJ did away with the draconian tradition of ranking schools one below the other, to ensure that all schools have been assessed holistically and respectfully.
The FPJ released an extensive list of exceptional schools across six diverse categories, namely Learning and Teaching, Sports Education, Parental Engagement and Community Outreach, Digitalisation and Technology Integration, Sustainability and Inclusive Education, and Vocational Education. Learning and Teaching, Sports Education, Parental Engagement and Community Outreach, Digitalisation and Technology Integration, Sustainability and Inclusive Education, and Vocational Education.
Schools were selected in each category. For instance in the category of Learning and Teaching, The Cathedral and John Connon, Gopi Birla Memorial, Campion, Billabong, High International, Ascend International, Utpal Shanghvi Global, Bai Avabai Framji Petit Girls’, Children’s Academy, JBCN International, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan International, Bombay Scottish, Somaiya, D.A.V Public, Sulochanadevi Singhania, Narayan E-Techno, Mahatma School of Academics and Sports, Vibgyor High stood out.
