5 Indian schools on shortlist for World’s Best School Prizes 2024

London: Five inspirational Indian schools have been named in the top 10 shortlists across different categories for the annual World’s Best School Prizes, organised in the UK to celebrate schools worldwide for their enormous contribution to society’s progress.

Two schools from Madhya Pradesh and one each from Delhi, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu were unveiled last week as being in the running across different categories for a share in the $50,000 prize fund. The five World’s Best School Prizes – for Community Collaboration, Environmental Action, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity, and Supporting Healthy Lives – were founded by UK-headquartered T4 Education in the wake of COVID to give a platform to schools that are changing lives in their classrooms and beyond.

"Trailblazing Indian schools like Government CM RISE Model HSS, Jhabua; Ryan International School, Vasant Kunj; G H S S Vinoba Ambedakar Nagar, Ratlam; Kalvi International Public School (Madurai); and Mumbai Public School L K Waghji International (IGCSE), which have cultivated a strong culture and aren’t afraid to innovate, show the difference that can be made to so many lives. Schools everywhere can now learn from their solutions, and it’s time governments do so as well", said Vikas Pota, Founder of T4 Education and the World’s Best School Prizes.

Government CM RISE Model HSS is a government school in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, which is integrating health education, nutritional meals, and community engagement to uplift children from Scheduled Tribes from poverty. It has made it to the Top 10 shortlist for the World’s Best School Prize for "Supporting Healthy Lives".

Ryan International School, Vasant Kunj is an independent kindergarten through secondary school in Delhi, which tackles water scarcity and pollution through innovative projects like hydroponics and biogas plants. It has been named in the Top 10 in the "Environmental Action" category.

G H S S Vinoba Ambedakar Nagar, Ratlam, a state kindergarten through secondary school in Madhya Pradesh described as a beacon of innovation in public education, was originally founded for tribal girls in an urban slum community hesitant to embrace formal education. It has been selected for the "Innovation" category.

Kalvi International Public School, is an independent school in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, which transforms lives through education and sports, empowering students from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve excellence. It has been named in the Top 10 shortlist for the World’s Best School Prize for "Community Collaboration".

Mumbai Public School L K Waghji International (IGCSE), a state kindergarten and primary school in Maharashtra which has taken significant strides to foster healthy lifestyles among its students by cutting out junk food, has been named for "Supporting Healthy Lives".

According to T4 Education, as in the previous years the winners of the five Prizes will be chosen by an expert "Judging Academy" based on rigorous criteria. In addition, all 50 shortlisted schools across the five prize categories will also take part in a public vote, which opened last week.

The top three finalists for the prizes, in collaboration with Accenture, American Express and the Lemann Foundation, will be announced in September and the winners in November.

Jill Huntley, Managing Director – Global Corporate Citizenship at Accenture, said of the shortlisted schools: "Your vital work brings hope that solutions can be found to some of the greatest challenges we face today. Through the platform of the World’s Best School Prizes, your solutions will now inspire countless others across the globe from the classrooms to the administration". The prize money of $50,000 will be equally shared among the winners of the five prizes, with each receiving an award of $10,000.

Meanwhile, the winner of the Community Choice Award, as determined by the public vote, will receive membership to Best School to Work, an independent, evidence-based mechanism to certify schools for their culture and working environment.