Gitanjali: Carving a niche for itself among peers

Gitanjali Group of Schools with four branches at Begumpet, Sapper Lines, S.D Road and Kukatpally, is counted as one of the leading and affordable schools in the state capital. It is perhaps the only top private institution that also enrolls and runs classes for children with special needs thus carving a niche for itself among peers.

Starting its journey with little over 150 students more than three decades ago, Gitanjali rose from strength to strength every year and presently the total strength stands at nearly 6000 students to go with 500 odd teaching staff. The Gitanjali Group of Schools was founded by Uma Karan and Gita Karan.

Gita Karan, Director has been an educator with over 40 years of experience and is a recipient of the National Award for Best Teacher from APJ Abdul Kalam during his stint as President. Under her leadership, the school has continued to innovate in teaching methodology and cultivate lifelong learning amongst student and teacher communities. Gita Karan even today provides personal attention to oversee the progress of each child enrolled in Gitanjali, which is very commendable.

Gitanjali Schools have been consistently among the top day schools in the country by magazines such as Outlook, Education World, Education Today, Brainfeed, Careers 360, School Brilliance and Digital Learning among others. All these have contributed to schools growing image over the last three decades.

In an interview with The Young Hans, Gita Karan shares her experiences and journey thus far.

1. How did you venture into school education? What was the motivation?

I worked in Hyderabad Public School for nearly eight years from late 1970s till 1985. Earlier, i handled pre-primary and then primary and higher classes. Towards the fag end of my stint, i taught biological science to students. We were a joint family and it was with my husband's support I took up this job. I was interested in teaching and hence opted for this profession. Also simultaneously i could take care of education and supervision of my children without any hassles.

2. When did you decide to start an own school?

After a good exposure at HPS, my husband and I decided to start our own school. This was in 1985. We started Gitanjali School, Begumpet (ICSE syllabus) with over 150 students in first year.

3. How was the name Gitanjali zeroed in?

It was my father who proposed the name and everyone liked it. As everyone knows Gitanjali is a collection of poems by the great Rabindranath Tagore, for which he won the coveted Nobel Prize. Also, partly it resembles my name (referring to Gita Karan)

4. So from a humble beginning with one school, Gitanjali widened its reach to different corners of the city

Due to our untiring efforts to offer the best education to students, Gitanjali school in Begumpet witnessed heavy rush for admissions continuously for several years. It is at this juncture we decided to add one more school to our profile and thus came Gitanjali Devshala, Sappers Lines, Secunderabad, which started in 1997.

Then came Gitanjali Devashray school in S.D.Road, Secunderabad and the last addition was Gitanjali Devakul in Kukatpally, which started classes from 2014. Gitanjali schools are affiliated to ISC/ICSE and CBSE Boards and it also offers the Cambridge International Examinations Programme (in Begumpet School).

5. What is the school’s USP and what are the reasons for the huge interest shown by parents in this school year after year

Gitanjali is in pursuit of excellence in education and also in holistic development of children. The Gitanjali system of education is designed to maximize the all round development of child's potential by providing complete academic support while building life skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration and physical skills in a values based environment. The curriculum is rich, the standard is high, and the number of students in each class is restricted.

Our schools are committed to a smaller student population with available square footage per child on par with large international schools offering personalized teaching and more participation opportunities. Academic results are excellent not because we are selective but because our teaching is methodical, comprehensive and well planned. We encourage children to achieve their maximum potential. Teachers and students share a close rapport because of the limited numbers in each class.

6. Can you elaborate on classes held for special needs children?

Two schools, Gitanjali Devshala and Gitanjali Devashray have been running classes for the mild to moderate mentally changed children, especially kids with Down Syndrome, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Global Development Delay etc. Schools are equipped with ramp, resource room and a remedial educator and child psychologist on board to take care of such children. These differently-abled children are integrated into the regular stream as per their abilities.

The focus is on developing life skills and encouraging social integration. Under the guidance of our special educators, children have completed the 10th class examination under the National Institute of Open School (NIOS).

One of our ex-students, Varun, started a printing press and Rishabh participated in the Special Olympics held in London and won a Silver Medal in Swimming. Aditya and Samuel have become well –known singers and have sung for many regional and Hindi movies. NIMH (National Institute of Mentally Handicapped) is assisting the school in assessment of children before their enrolment in school.

7. Can you share with us some of the school alumnus who went to achieve bigger things in life?

Shooter and Olympian Gagan Narang and Roller Skater and Arjuna Award winner Anup Kumar did schooling from our school. Recently two students went on to become IAS officers. Many have become doctors, engineers and some excelled in literature also. In last November alumni from our school gathered and held a meeting at one place to relive the golden memories.

8. What has been your family’s association and contribution?

The growth of Gitanjali registered in last three decades has been steady and spectacular. Apart from untiring efforts and dedication of our teaching and non-teaching staff, my family has also been closely associated in this journey. My son Jai Karan, who was in US for almost 20 years returned and is taking care of administration work in the school. My daughter Madhvi Chandra is the Principal of Gitanjali Devshala

9. What is your view on the ongoing row over exorbitant fee structure in private and corporate schools in the city?

At Gitanjali, our focus is on education of children and not money making. We have an affordable fee structure, which parents are very happy with. Interestingly, parents from other schools are shifting their children and seeking admissions in our schools just because of the moderate fee structure here.

BY Mahesh Avadhutha