A DPS Megacity aspirant admires the model of the new Rajarhat school. Picture by Pabitra Das

Fourteen acres, 280,000 sq ft of building space, 1,100-seater state-of-the-art amphitheatre, 1,050-seater air-conditioned auditorium, TV, computers and CCTV cameras in the classroom, hi-tech maths, robotics and language labs, football field, tennis courts, swimming pool, gym, horse-riding, carpentry, photography…

The trademark tools of the Delhi Public Schools (DPS) around the world will all be available at the newest addition to the family — DPS Megacity, in Rajarhat.

Billed as “one of the largest” on the education map in this part of the country, the second DPS in the city — after the Ruby Park address — is being built with a total investment of “around Rs 20 crore”.

The Megacity will start off with Nursery to Class VII, and a class will be added every year, till XII. With 38 teachers already recruited and 1,050 students on the rolls, the first term is set to begin on April 29, before the school shuts for summer on May 14. The teachers will then be sent for training to other DPS centres.

The cost of an “intelligent environment” — smart card for students for security and to maintain daily records, satellite linkups with other DPS classrooms and a web-based evaluation that parents can log on to — is not cheap. The admission fee is Rs 30,000, including a refundable security deposit of Rs 5,000, the annual session charge is Rs 7,500 and the monthly tuition fee Rs 1,700.

Promoted by the Maa Saraswati Gyan Mandir Education Society, the sprawling complex, situated some distance beyond New Town, Rajarhat, is scheduled for completion in April 2006. The maximum capacity is 5,000-odd, with a 1:20 teacher-student ratio and 30 children in each class. The proposed hostel will accommodate 400 youngsters from outside Calcutta.

Parents had two main concerns during the admission process — “distance from the city” and the continuing construction work — admitted Piyush Kheria, a member of the managing committee. A fleet of around 40 buses will pick up and drop off students from “Tollygunge to Behala”, although “almost 80 per cent” of the first batch is from Salt Lake, said Kheria. As for the construction, the “noisy portion” is almost over, and the rest will happen from 1.30 pm, after class hours.

“They were also worried about whether we would finish the complex. It will be complete in the next two years,” he added. Next year, after Class VIII is added, the school will apply for ICSE and ISC affiliation.

As part of the DPS Shiksha Kendra community welfare programme, DPS Megacity will offer free education — boarding, lodging, tuition fees and books — from Nursery to Class XII to 50 deserving under-privileged children, chosen from city-based NGOs.

A playfield, courtyard, playroom and pool for the toddlers, multimedia centre, separate wings for performing arts, an international running track, facilities for snooker, billiards, table tennis and carrom, classes in aerobics, sculpture and painting — the list of promises is long. “We want to achieve an all-round development of the children by striking a balance between academics and extra-curricular activities,” explained principal Melville Samuel.