by International Schools, offering instruction in English in nearly every country in the world, are experiencing a huge boost in numbers. According to recent research from International School Consultancy (ISC) Research Ltd. there are now more 6,500 English-medium international schools worldwide. The growth rate for 2011-2012 was about 7% and an astonishing 153% over the last twelve years. While most of this growth is due to the establishment of new international schools, many existing schools are adapting English as the language of instruction, inflating these numbers.More than half of these schools are in Asia, with United Arab Emirates leading the pack with 391, followed by Pakistan (346), China (342) and China (342). Fifth on the list is India (320), which has seen a boom in international schools in recent years.
Unlike other countries with long-standing international schools, most of the best international schools in India have been founded since the year 2000. The Indus International School in Bangalore for example, opened in 2003 and is viewed as the most prestigious international school in India. Other schools with great reputations are the Woodstock School, Mussoorie, Pathways World School in Aravali, the Mahindra United World College in Pune and the Mercedes-Benz International School in Pune. Mumbai has also added some high-quality schools in recent years. The Dhirubhai Ambani International School, funded by Reliance Industries, has established itself as a leading school in India. Their state-of-the-art facilities and quality of instruction are beacons, while their social initiatives like the Village Project has allowed the school to address UN Millennium Development Objectives and IB Mission goals. A more recent newcomer causing a splash on the Mumbai scene is the Oberoi International School. Opened in 2008, Oberoi places an emphasis on sparking creativity amongst students while holding true to their challenging IB and IGSCE curricula. Their 400,000 square foot campus presents a dynamic learning environment and their faculty are always seeking ways to instill their mission statement: “Freedom to think. Empower to be.” The teacher to student ratio is 1:14 which allows students with the individual attention they need to succeed.
The growth of international schools in India is expected to grow, due mainly to the growing demand from wealthy families looking to guarantee their children with the global awareness and academic expertise they need to gain admission to prestigious universities in India and abroad.
