CBSE chairman Ashok Ganguly (right) with actor Soumitra Chatterjee at the inauguration of Indus Valley World School. Picture by Anindya Shankar Ray

Studying under the watchful gaze of closed circuit TV camera, learning mathematics using models, playing in an artificial forest.... Such are the facilities that students of Indus Valley World School will grow up with.

The school — located in Ajoynagar off EM Bypass — was inaugurated on March 20 by CBSE chairman Ashok Ganguly, along with actor Soumitra Chatterjee. Pro vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University Siddhartha Dutta and educationist Barry O’Brien were also present.

It claims to be the first centrally air-conditioned school in the city and boasts of computer-aided learning, with every classroom having a touch-screen board that doubles as a blackboard as well as a projector and is also wired to the Net. Besides, there is an indoor play area and a central announcing system. The school is seeking affiliation to CBSE.

Ganguly said it was necessary to create a balance between the new and traditional methods of education. “We should embrace the new tools of education. But that does not mean doing away with tradition,” he said. Students of sister institute BD Memorial School staged a cultural show. The treat for the audience, though, was a performance by percussionist Bickram Ghosh and his band.

Built on a 65,000 sq ft campus, the co-educational school currently has 50 students and has classes till Class VII. A class will be added every year.

Usha Mehta, director of the school, said: “Our teaching system will not require students to carry heavy bags. Students in the lower classes will not carry exercise books to school and will be taught through resources available in the class. In higher classes, students will carry only one exercise book for all subjects.” The student and teacher ratio is 20:2.

According to principal Joseph Mathew, there would be no punishments in class. “Saturdays will be for extra-curricular activities, when students can come in any attire they please.”

The school also has a day-boarding facility, and students will be provided with breakfast, lunch, a snack in the afternoon, and extra help with their lessons. But all this comes for a price. One has to shell out an entry fee of Rs 52,000 for toddlers and Rs 7,000 more for higher classes, while the quarterly fee is Rs 10,000.

Romila Saha