Walk in as a child, walk out with a dream job. That’s the promise with which the IEM group, which runs the Institute of Engineering & Management in Sector V, has started a school in Salt Lake. New York Public School, housed in a four-storeyed building in GE Block, will take in students from April. 

“From play group to post-graduation, we want to be present in every step of a student’s way,” director says Sanghamitra Chakrabarti, adding that the group is also building a university in Rajarhat.

This will be the first of what is being planned as a chain with presence across the city and beyond. “We are starting in Salt Lake because of the proximity to our other campuses,” said the daughter of IEM founder Satyajit Chakrabarti.

The school has applied for affiliation to ICSE and is now admitting students from lower nursery to Class V. 

With the mother institution imparting education in technology, the school too is stressing on technology from the very beginning. “We want our students to be tech-savvy. They are being provided with a tab each from the lower classes. We have tied up with Educomp, a leading smart school content developer. They will provide us with the latest educational apps which we would download on the tabs for use in class. They would take the tabs home like they would take their text books. Once they get promoted to the next class, they would submit the old one and get a new tab with apps suitable for an older age group downloaded on it.”

The classes have both a green board for the chalk-and-talk sessions and a white board which would be linked to the teacher’s tab, displaying its screen. It would also have a projector connected to it.

The classrooms will be air-conditioned. Vice-principal Vijaylaxmi Kumar said because of global warming, air-conditioners were a necessity. “Children can take in more if they are in comfort.” No class would have more than 30 students from Class I. In the lower classes it would be restricted to 25, which is supposed to be the highest manageable number.

Each class has a shelf with age-appropriate books. “Instead of disturbing the class, the students would be encouraged to pick up a book and read in their free time.”

 

ON THE SIDE

The school plans to offer roller-skating, table tennis, yoga and karate. “We will also impart coaching from Class IV onwards for students to appear in the Olympiads in mathematics, science and English,” said vice-principal Kumar.
The school will provide transport to ferry children from home and back. 

Day-care facilities will be on offer as well, right from the age of 18 months onwards. “This is to provide relief to working parents. We see so many of them in Sector V where we are headquartered.”

While the pre-school will have only two hour classes, a child can stay back in the day care till 7pm. “They will be made to do all that they would have done at home — change clothes, take a nap, have a healthy meal and do some after-school activities other than homework under adult supervision.” Parents can choose from dance, guitar or keyboard classes for their children over and above the extra-curricular activities at school. They can also play in the grassy turf behind the school building. “Children need to stay outdoors in the sun for Vitamin D intake.”

The annual fees will be around Rs 30,000, including an admission fee of Rs 15,000 and a security deposit of Rs 5,000.