Times School Survey 2021: The best schools in Odisha

In the last one year, the education sector swiftly adapted itself to the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid this new normal, online learning became an operative world, with most schools and academic institutions adopting digital tools to deliver education. Many schools across the country worked hard to provide an engaging remote learning environment that comes with the flexibility of a physical classroom.Customizing education without compromising on the syllabus can be an exhausting process, and many schools did a wonderful job during this period of transition. Recognizing the efforts made by these schools is the Times School Survey 2021 that is endeavouring to highlight the best educational institutes across India. It has recently released the survey report for Odisha in which various schools across the state have been ranked based on a range of parameters.
The survey has been conducted by Avance India (Avance Field & Brand solutions LLP), a boutique research and consulting firm focused on offering high standard Insights. Avance consists of a compact team of researchers that are well focused and experienced with exposure to delivering global and national MR projects. For the Times School Ranking Survey 2021, Odisha, Avance India used three major modules to arrive at the analysis and final ranking. This comprises Desk Research, Perceptual and Factual survey (Participatory Survey), and Defining Categories in Final Ranking.
A look at the winners




ODM Public School, Bhubaneswar

ODM Public School is the flagship school of ODM Educational Group, Odisha's emerging educational group. Over the past decade, ODM has garnered a strong reputation as one of the top CBSE schools in Odisha. ODM is one of the best residential school in the state because of its dedication and sheer focus on academics and service to parents. ODM's motto "Be Good and Make Others Good" originates from its three core values, Love, Care and Respect. The school was started back in 1989, and it recently completed three decades in the domain of education.
Within the broad-based curriculum options offered, ample opportunities are provided to develop and assess critical, creative thinking skills, the flexibility of approach, the ability to work with and serve others, and the grit and fortitude in the face of challenges.
A kaleidoscope of extra-curricular activities supports the education programme of the institution to create the ultimate ODM product- strong, confident individuals and active life-long learners. ODM fuels the desire to inculcate a lifelong habit of learning in students, imperative for holistic development. To fuel the seed of learning, the school constantly motivates the students to believe in the motto “Learning the treasure within.”
Mother’s Public School, Bhubaneswar

What once started in a small thatched roof house with nine students, Mother’s Public School today has a student base of 3500 and is a known name in the education sector of Odisha.
Mother’s Public School, in its early days, was a daycare centre and a pre-school named ‘Prakrit.’ Mrs Poly Patnaik started it in 1992 with an intent to help working parents by providing day boarding facilities for their children. While the school took off slowly, initially with one classroom every year, today, MPS is one of its kind boarding schools in the capital and has 200 trained teachers and other professionals. It has also expanded to multiple campuses in the state.
The distinctive family ethos and a heartwarming atmosphere set the school apart from others. The sense of community they foster inside the campus is unique. The school offers a warm and fun-filled progressive environment. The students develop a strong sense of belonging and confidence as they are provided multiple opportunities to participate in an era of enrichment activities. Students are infused with a confluence of traditional values combined with transferable skills, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities in a continuous and comprehensive pattern.
Jupiter Public School, Bhubaneswar

Jupiter Public School’s journey started in 2015, and since then, the school has been moving on an ever-upward curve. JPS has continuously ensured that quality is never compromised, and the Jupiter Group of Institutions has carved a niche for itself in the state of Odisha. Time and again, it has created records, and the surge is virtually unstoppable. It has been repeating the feat, on a trot, year after year. There have been difficult times with the pandemic, but that has not dampened the spirit of the management.
Jupiter Public School has adapted to the rapid changes in imparting education where technology has a more significant say. Smart classroom and technology-savvy faculties make teaching more effective and provide quality education to aspiring students in a congenial ambience. JPS also has one of the best infrastructure support. Air Conditioned classrooms with required digital devices have made them teaching-friendly. The state-of-the-art building is the epitome of learning and knowledge. Being fully residential with air-conditioned rooms makes learning comfortable for young minds.
The school also has one of the best libraries in India that caters to the needs of the growing minds with books on academics, literature, language, research and a lot more. It's a treat for both faculties and students as well. At a single time, it can accommodate one hundred students to sit comfortably and study. The school also has playgrounds and courts for football, basketball, volleyball, cricket, lawn tennis and badminton. Further, the school is also equipped with a language lab that deals with phonetics, the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) and other subtleties for mastering English in both its written and spoken forms.
JPS takes pride in its faculty that is highly qualified and perfectly attends to the needs of students. The Management ensures that they undergo various orientation training to sharpen and upgrade their skill and knowledge. The Management also encourages a strong parents-faculty-student network and holds frequent interfaces to maintain a congenial atmosphere for study both at home and the school.

Live online classes by experienced faculties followed by doubt clearing are the hallmarks of Jupion Classes. It sets apart JPS from other institutes, with special emphasis on NEET/JEE/ADVANCED JEE with a tie up with Amogh classes, one of the best in India. The online classes provided in Jupiter School are done via its own app where almost everything is automated. Syllabus is not rushed but understood. Evening hour is dedicated to guided study, doubt clearance as well as repetition for the absentees. So parents need not worry regarding making children do homework or make them sit for long. We interact with each and every student. There is one teacher for every subject for every 15 students. Every student is treated equally yet conditioned differently, making everyone the best version of themselves.
Vikash Residential School, Bargarh

Vikash Group of CBSE Schools is a beacon of imparting inclusive and progressive education since its inception in 2002. Today, it provides an entire spectrum of learning in a safe, stimulating and intellectually challenging environment encompassing K-12 institutions in different parts of the state. Accomplishing many milestones in its short span of 18 years, it has spread its wings by introducing a chain of schools at Bargarh, Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur, Bhawanipatna, Rourkela and Jharsuguda. The journey started with a small strength of 52 students has now reached 15000, out of which 6000 are availing its residential facilities.
The art of integrated learning, experiential learning, along with Bloom’s Taxonomy based educational process, make learning a joy, ensuring a good degree of creative thinking. The emergence of Techno Academic Programme from classes VI to X, with IIT / NEET Programme, is designed with the first 5 years dedicated to consolidating their foundation skills, followed by an integrated senior secondary programme which is the output of indigenous research-based school academic structure and strategy. Students are regularly qualifying for NTSE, various Olympiads, IIT, NEET, KVPY, NISER, IISER, etc., in their first attempt. Academic excellence is established in AISSCE and AISSE boards by achieving remarkable results.
The global pandemic requires defining the ‘new normal’ in education, and Vikash Group ensured the development of a new technology-driven educational ecosystem within 15 days. This was developed by Vikash Group’s UG students and faculty. They developed two separate online portals, i.e. VIDYA and V-learning, to cater for the needs of all students from KG to PG level. It was designed so that students were engaged in attending classes, doing homework, writing the examination online and in the pen-paper mode under surveillance, and getting access to study materials.
The school also trained its faculty with 21st-century educational skills, upgraded the physical infrastructure, and, more importantly, reached out to all the students and parents to gear up for this new system. The student-teacher interaction was so effective that most of the classes registered more than 90% attendance. The school also arranged indoor physical activity and Yogic sessions in virtual mode. The annual teacher empowerment program was also conducted in the virtual mode.
The school’s students also added radiance by winning the Governor’s Trophy and Chief Minister Trophy for the last 12 years by displaying their talent in creative art, folk, mono action, essay etc. To enhance the spirit of responsibility among its students, the schools hosted many State and National Level Camps like INSPIRE, National Integration Camp, Youth Red Cross Zonal Camp, CBSE Cluster Meet etc. From energy efficiency to recycling, all the campuses are self-sustained campuses using solar power, Bio-Gas Power plant, Sewage Water treatment plants, central water purifying plant etc. The Bargarh campus received the prestigious “Prakruti Mitra Award” for the contribution to create Eco-Friendly campuses.
Methodology
Here’s a quick look at how the survey was conducted:
Desk research: A comprehensive list of schools was generated with the help of the internet, magazines and other publications.
Perceptual Survey: Respondents were asked to give ratings for only those schools which they were aware of and were included in their list of top schools in the area. Different stakeholders were taken into consideration for the perceptual survey viz. Teachers, Alumni, Parents of aspiring students, Parents of existing students & Students. More than 250 stakeholders were contacted and shared their perception.
In Module 3 (Factual Survey): Schools were sent the factual data questionnaire and then telephonically. The factual data sheet focuses on General information, Infrastructure & facilities, Teachers, Potential to network, Exchange programs and global exposure and Awards.
Defining Categories in Final Ranking:
Leaders: Schools have been in existence for more than 5 years and have 5 or more pass out batches and are respected by the community for their academic performance and infrastructure.
Promising: Waiting-in-the-ranks schools that have the potential to be in the leader category in future.
Emerging: Schools established in 2017 and thereafter are performing well in the current situation.
The Times School Survey Odisha has been conducted by Avance India.
Disclaimer: This article has been produced on behalf of Times School Survey by Times Internet’s Spotlight team.