Kendriya Vidyalaya

Kendriya Vidyalaya means Central School. There are loads of them all over the country: huge schools funded by the government. Until yesterday I assumed that these schools were poorly maintained and overcrowded. We had heard that families who could afford fee-based "public" schools, go there. Yesterday, however, I was blown away by our visit to the Kendriya Vidyalaya, Picket, in Hyderabad. Although the facilities seemed slightly worn and the student body is huge (3000 students K-12), there was nothing poor about this school. A small marching band greeted us and we were ushered in to the principal's office.

Principal Gowri is a warm and relaxed woman, for someone who is in charge of over 80 faculty members and 2000 students. She has a Mickey Mouse towel draped over the back of her chair.  She quickly set up visits for each of us and nonchalantly ordered a replay of this morning's assembly so that we could see it in action.

 The Assembly took place outside in the courtyard. Students wearing uniforms were sanding in perfect rows. Every morning the assembly includes prayer, chanting, a moment of silent meditation, stretching, an English word of the day, and announcements.

We lit the ceremonial lamp, they presented us with flowers and told us that in India guests are like gods. Then came the cultural performances: traditional songs and dances. The only students who were not in uniform were the performers. They were dressed in beautiful colorful traditional costumes. One thing that struck me today was the dedication and love for Indian heritage and culture. Despite the fact that the language of instruction is English, there is a strong identity here.

Then, we were sent on different paths to observe classrooms in action. I went to a 9th grade English class. In a huge room with little light, forty students sat in rows of chairs (no desks): twenty boys on one side, twenty girls on the other. Today's lesson, Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken." Students listened to a recitation of the poem set to images projected on the board. The teacher used the poem to spark a lively conversation about how we make choices in our lives. When a student wanted to offer an answer, he or she would stand up to speak. There were no side conversations that I could see and the students were eager to participate.