VALUE FOR MONEY Schools in West Delhi aim at providing students comprehensive education while keeping affordability high on their list of priorities. TOMORROW To find out which North Delhi schools come out on top in various categories, from `individual attention to students' to `infrastruc- ture and facilities', look out for the Top School survey in tomorrow's HT School campuses are turning eco-friendly by holding workshops and even have `lights out' on certain days.

R H E A PA N D E Y , student Schools should allow students to think freely instead of blindly following their teachers.We need to think on our own.

M U S K A N N A G I , student Each child has multiple intelligences. We train our teachers to find and hone these in each child.

N I TA A R O R A , principal We are concerned about the race for 100%. Students are getting disillusioned despite good performances.

S U N I TA TA N WA R , principal
I f you search for “Schools in west Delhi“ on Google maps, you get a region dotted with those familiar red balloons. Being one of the newest areas to develop, schools have mushroomed here at an impressive rate.
New schools, of course, offer more up-to-date facilities than older established ones in other parts of Delhi. Take Venkateshwar International School, Sector 10, Dwarka, for instance. From a swimming pool, dance studio and cafeteria to a fleet of air-conditioned buses, the school provides its students with facilities other schools can only dream of. It has topped the `academic rigour', `extra-curricular activities' and `innovative teaching' parameters of the 2011 Hindustan Times ­ C fore Top School survey.

The profile of parents in west Delhi is similar ­ young, working, filled with aspiration and putting a premium on value for money.

Here is a list of other options. SCHOOLS TO LOOK OUT FOR

MIRA MODEL SR SEC SCHOOL JANAK PURI Mira Model welcomes students from all walks of life, providing equal opportunity for each and every one of them. Catering to the middle income group, the school has a reasonable fee structure. The school building has been designed keeping the latest ultra-modern requirements in mind and has provisions for fire fighting, rainwater harvesting and waste-water treatment.
N K BAGRODIA PUBLIC SCHOOL DWARKA The school was inaugurated in April 2001. It provides educational excellence at an affordable price. Spread across four acres of land, the school has two playgrounds and a reasonably stocked library. The school also organises different `weeks', to educate children and make them aware of their surroundings.
ITL PUBLIC SCHOOL DWARKA This air-conditioned senior secondary school thrives on giving its students a complete experience. Be it performing arts, sports or scholastics, they want their students to attain self-confidence with skills to match. They offer hobby clubs ranging from electronics and sculpture to needle point training.
SHREE VENKATESHWAR DWARKA One of the youngest schools in the region, the school is spread across two acres, has five playgrounds and a large library. The teachers here attend regular workshops such as `effective English communication' and first aid & safety.
INDRAPRASTHA WORLD SCHOOL PASCHIM VIHAR The school building is fully air-conditioned and there are three playgrounds. It has partnered with institutions in the UK to provide a global perspective to students. Each classroom has a computer and television for joyful and computeraided learning. Concepts are taught through different ways of play here.

OTHER GOOD OPTIONS G D GOENKA PUBLIC SCHOOL DWARKA An array of indoor and outdoor activities that cater to the individual requirement of each child. including soccer, badminton, tennis, swimming, taekwondo and web design, animation, astronomy and western dance are on offer. The school has provided a separate pool for the tiny ones. The cafeteria aims to provide nutritious food with a dietician's consultation.
B G S INTERNATIONAL DWARKA The school emphasises on ethics-based learning with a cultural, economic, social and politically charged academic atmosphere. To ensure the complete development of the children, the school encourages students to take part in various cocurricular activities such as music, dance, arts and sports.
NIRMAL BHARTIA SCHOOL DWARKA They encourage group learning and invite family members for frequent lectures.
Their nirmal sahyog programme encourages students to reach out and partner with organisations in the fields of animal welfare, care for the aged etc. The school also has specialised labs for language and mathematics.
NEW ERA PUBLIC SCHOOL MAYAPURI Established in 1960, it's one of the older schools of the region. The school's library has about 10,000 books. The students can enjoy their own personal science park. The air-conditioned auditorium has a capacity to seat 700 people.

R D RAJPAL PUBLIC SCHOOL, DWARKA A wide spectrum of activities are provided to satisfy the intellectual curiosity and academic growth of it's students. Visits, lectures, symposiums, debates, book reviews, book discussions are regularly organised. A number of workshops are setup to bring interest and excitement in routine life. METHODOLOGY The survey was conducted in three phases. In phase-1, schools were invited to provide information on academic and non-academic facilities, performance of students and profile of teachers. Then research agency C fore shortlisted schools for the second round, in which a perceptual survey was carried out with a sample of 3,000 parents and teachers across the city's six zones. They were asked to assess schools they were aware of on a scale of 10 against 14 parameters.
Results of the perceptual survey were combined with objective data from the first round to rank schools. In phase-3, C fore researchers visited the schools to conduct an audit and finalise rankings.
Perceptual data scores were extrapolated for schools that did not participate