Residential schools in India: Popularity, Benefits and Future outlook

Residential schools in India are gaining immense popularity among parents and students due to its approach of holistic development in academics and extracurricular activities. Enriched with technology and experienced staff, residential schools are offering a mentally stimulating and sound environment for students to live and study and transform themselves physically, mentally and spiritually. It is efficient in providing an all round development to students and keeping them safe on campus premises. Let us learn why Indian residential schools are becoming so popular.

What is a residential school in India?

Residential schools are another term used for boarding schools in India. Students admitted to residential schools usually stay on campus to gain academic learning along with holistic development of body, mind, and soul. Compared to regular schools, boarding schools have on-campus dwellings and meal facilities to offer a home-like environment to students. While in the case of day schools, students come to the school for a fixed number of hours and then return to their homes.

Boarding schools are affiliated with the recognised educational boards in India to offer world-class education to students from all cultural backgrounds. Since students stay on campus all the time, they are encouraged to participate in various extracurricular activities for their physical and mental development. In short, a residential school offers a complete transformation in your child on academic, mental, emotional, moral and spiritual levels.

How long did Indian Residential Schools operate?

The history of Indian residential schools can be traced back to the British government. The British colonisers established boarding schools in India in the 19th century to educate their children. The foreign children of British officials stationed in India could not work on the Indian curriculum and therefore needed to be given world-class education and discipline. The subjects of focus at that time were geography, arithmetic and English. Education was imparted in a strict structural and regulatory environment where students had to adhere to all rules and a strict schedule.

With time, many residential schools opened in India and improvised, including extracurricular and character building as a part of their curriculum. In today’s date, you can find many good residential schools in India that are focused towards offering a professional curriculum by providing a wide range of subjects and giving importance to the holistic development of students.

Types of Residential Schools in India

1. Girls’ residential schools– They are called single-sex boarding schools where the curriculum is specifically designed to fulfil girls’ academic and extracurricular needs. The best girls’ residential schools in India aim to empower girls and transform them into world leaders of a better tomorrow. The top girls’ residential schools are generally chosen by parents who are not driven towards the co-ed ideology and want a safer environment for their girls.

2. Boys residential schools– These are also single-sex schools with emphasis on boys’ holistic and academic development. They function similarly to girls’ boarding schools and aim for the development of boys in all aspects to mould them into world leaders.

3. Co-Ed residential schools– These schools promote healthy interaction between boys and girls by providing both sexes a safe and disciplined environment. Both genders are offered different dormitories, but they study, play, compete and dine together like any other co-ed school.

4. Private residential schools– These are managed and handled by private organisations and have their own rules and regulations. However, they can be affiliated with any Indian educational boards recognised by the central or state government. They work autonomously with no funds or financial help from the government. The private residential schools in India offer single-sex and co-ed education.

5. International residential schools– Indian residential schools foster international and foreign exchange students to stay and learn in Indian schools and learn and share cultures. The international residential schools in India are mostly affiliated with the International Baccalaureate (IB) board. 

How does the Indian residential school system work?

1. Multi-level education – Residential schools work by providing education at primary, secondary and intermediary levels. Generally, different boarding schools offer holistic education to students of varying age groups.

2. Objective-based learning – Students belonging to different levels have different learning objectives. While a primary kid learns to structure her foundation, an intermediate student works on professional and further studies. Therefore private residential schools systematically plan and structure their curriculum to suit students’ academic and extracurricular needs.

3. Dietary planning – A primary class child’s nutritional needs vary from secondary and intermediate students. Therefore, schools focus on the age group to fulfil the nutritional needs of growing children for both girls and boys. 

What are the facilities offered in Indian residential schools?

1. Dormitories– The best residential boarding schools in India offer dormitories with all the required amenities for students to live properly. Students are provided with cupboards, desks, chairs, beds, washrooms, and proper lighting all over the place.

2. Recreational facilities– Residential schools encourage students to utilise their free time by participating in recreational activities such as theatre, debates, swimming, and outdoor and indoor activities. To support this, the infrastructure of the school is made accordingly.

3. Medical– Students living in residential schools are always on campus and may need medical checkups at any hour of the day. Therefore boarding schools have on-campus doctors, nurses and infirmaries to provide timely health checkups.

4. Study rooms– Libraries and study spaces are a must-have in every good residential school in India. It offers a mentally stimulating and sound environment for students to learn and progress. 

How do residential schools promote cultural diversity?

Among many pros of boarding schools, cultural intermingling is one of the benefits.

1. Living together – Students from different cultural and financial backgrounds are welcomed by the residential schools in India so that students are exposed to different cultures and traditions. This way, boarding schools provide a lifetime learning opportunity to cooperate, instil and respect every culture and its teachings.

2. Cultural exchange programs – Residential schools also arrange for cultural exchange programs where students get a taste of the foreign culture and their academic learning. This way, students can broaden their perspectives and open their minds to new knowledge and philosophies. 

What are the advantages of residential schools in India?

1. Educational growth – Boarding schools focus on the child’s academic development by offering technologically equipped classrooms, skilled teachers and a holistic curriculum. Students are encouraged to ask questions and polish their learning.

2. Emotional growth – Residential schools practise group activities to encourage positive emotions and correct negative behaviour. Students learn to process their negative emotions optimistically so that it does not turn into violent or aggressive behaviour.

3. Physical growth – Extracurricular activities help students to get their minds out of their studies and polish their talents and skills. Sports and other exercises help in the physical development of children.

4. Social growth – Students in residential schools stay on campus all the time and are constantly surrounded by staff, peers or mentors. It helps in keeping away social anxiety and enhances social behaviour. 

What are the reasons for the growing popularity of residential schools in India?

1. Academic choices– With the improvement in academic structure through the years, residential schools in India offer a variety of streams, such as science, maths, humanities, commerce, and arts. There are choices in picking the right educational board from CBSE, ICSE, IGCSE, and IB. Since parents and students find a pool of options, it is easier to find the right boarding school for their children.

2. Character development– Residential schools offer a disciplined, stimulating and encouraging environment for students to express themselves. Living in a social setting, students learn empathy, motivation, cooperation and mutual respect towards each other. With the help of supportive mentors and staff, students learn to process negative emotions such as anger, grief, jealousy, and violence in the most positive way possible. They build the power of creative and critical thinking.

3. Minimise distractions– One of the most positive aspects of residential schools is that it minimises a significant amount of distraction that students otherwise face at day schools. Smart devices and video games are a few gadgets consuming most of the free time that students could otherwise put into doing something productive. Residential schools have inbuilt facilities to promote recreational activities such as sports, reading, theatre, music and dance.

4. Abroad studies– The holistic and rich curriculum offered by boarding schools prepares each child for future education in foreign lands. Schools impart a professional approach to learning and grooming students to be ready in every way to grab the opportunities coming their way. International exposure through cultural exchange programs helps boost students’ confidence that they can achieve their dreams of studying abroad.

5. Infrastructural facilities- Even when away from their homes, India’s top residential schools do not fail to provide a warm and holistic environment equipped with every facility. The growing needs of students are considered, and therefore, the best boarding schools in India have advanced security systems, smart classes, hygienic mess facilities, dormitories, washrooms, shower rooms, medical aids, and facilities to promote extracurricular activities.

6. Holistic development– One of the advantages of living in a residential school is that it nurtures every aspect of a child, be it social, cultural, moral, physical or mental. Students get an all-round transformation experience and are moulded into better, learned individuals. So even if the children are away from their homes, parents can rest assured that their child is getting the right environment for growth. 

What is the current state and future outlook of residential schools?

Currently, residential schools in India are in immense demand from parents willing to provide their children a nurturing and mentally stimulating environment. 

1. Equal education to all – Although residential schools are trying to fulfil the needs of all students, including international students, the new outlook is to introduce the concept of inclusive education policies in residential schools. The aim is to provide differently-led students with equal learning opportunities and a holistic environment that caters to their needs.

2. Introducing new subjects – Based on the growing educational needs of students and society, educational authorities plan to introduce subjects such as yoga, sports, horticulture and AI learning in the academic curriculum.

3. Subject matter experts – Lesson planning plays a vital role in delivering lectures. Therefore, residential schools plan to hire subject matter experts to plan lessons as they have better knowledge of the subject and children.

What are the policies offered by the government for Indian residential schools?

The government of India is drafting a policy to promote education for all students at residential schools. 

1. Eklavya model residential school – It is a central sector scheme that aims to provide quality education to children of scheduled tribes(ST) from classes VI to XII. This is done to bring all students to the same platform and educate ST students in remote areas. It also aims to offer high-class education to tribal students free of cost. This helps in enabling students to get equal opportunities and build their professional careers to get better jobs in the future. Emphasis is laid on quality education along with extracurricular growth.

2. The Navodaya Vidyalaya system– Drafted by the national education policy, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya was set up in 1986. This co-ed residential school aims to provide quality education to talented students living in rural and backward areas. In this residential school, students are given free of cost lodging, books, stationery and school uniforms. Sports is also deemed necessary, along with a core curriculum built to offer holistic academic development.

Residential schools in India are growing popular day by day due to their multiple benefits and the holistic academic curriculum. Parents willing to choose the right school for their child must consider admitting them to residential schools.

SKV is among the top residential schools in India that offers experiential and progressive learning to girls from class VI onwards. Our vision is to empower girls and offer them greater academic and extracurricular opportunities to bloom into world leaders of tomorrow.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is residential school in India?

Residential schools are boarding schools that offer on campus learning and living to students. A holistic environment is provided that helps in the academic and extracurricular development of children.

How do residential schools differ from traditional day schools in India?

Traditional schools or regular schools function only during the day time and students can return back to their homes after school hours. Whereas in residential school students live on campus and their study routine is divided accordingly. They are provided dormitories to stay and mess for meals. It offers a holistic development to students.

What are the benefits of residential schools for students?

Residential schools boost the holistic development in students by offering them necessary facilities, world class education, skilled and professional teachers, supportive staff, extracurricular opportunities and international exposure.