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Outdoor amphitheater
Science lab
School library
Sanskriti's homepage has a subtle recognition of the school's "toppers."
July 18, 2025
Thursday, July 17th was a travel day; after one final ride through the city with Sharmila, we said our goodbyes at the Kolkata airport and departed for Delhi. Since returning, we've jumped right back into a packed schedule. Between full days of programming and late evenings, finding time to reflect and write has been a challenge.
Delhi now feels almost calm in contrast to the constant bustle of Kolkata. The weather has been surprisingly pleasant, with temperatures hovering in the low 100s—tempered by gentle breezes and brief showers.
On Friday morning, USIEF wasted no time getting us back into the swing of things. By 7:15 a.m., we were on the bus headed to our first group visit back in Delhi: Sanskriti School. "How's the josh?!" "High!"
Located along Delhi’s "embassy row," Sanskriti is a co-ed private school that many described as “elite.” The school's principal shared that about 60% of the student body are children of civil servants (this is the population the school was founded for, 27 years ago), while another 25% come from low income, marginalized backgrounds and are selected through a government lottery run by the Directorate of Education. These students receive full scholarships, including tuition, uniforms, and books. In total, Sanskriti serves 2,900 students across grades K–12, with class sizes around 30.
The 7-acre campus was striking, with manicured landscaping, expansive play areas, an outdoor amphitheater, a large air-conditioned auditorium, and strong support systems—including a Learning Center and staff for students with special needs, extracurricular programs, and notable teacher retention. The contrast between Sanskriti and the government or government-sponsored schools we’ve visited is stark, and a reminder of the deep educational and socioeconomic inequities that exist across India. It’s hard not to wonder what kinds of opportunities await graduates of Sanskriti compared to students from less-resourced schools.
Our visit began with a morning assembly presented by students from Grade 5, Section C. Their program focused on the environment and climate change, with each child confidently delivering memorized lines on causes, effects, and solutions. Their clarity and coordination were impressive, and I couldn't help but wonder how they have time to pull off assemblies like these on a weekly basis.
After the assembly, we split into small groups for campus tours. Our social sciences group was guided by two Grade 12 students: Divisha, who has attended Sanskriti since "nursery," and a classmate whose name I unfortunately didn’t record. Both spoke with pride about their school. Divisha highlighted the school’s emphasis on holistic education, explaining, “India is very academically inclined,” referencing the country’s competitive exam culture and pressure to be a “topper.” But at Sanskriti, she added, “we have opportunities to build understanding and confidence amongst ourselves.”
Her classmate echoed this sentiment and praised Sanskriti’s commitment to inclusivity, particularly for students of different abilities, and its attention to global issues. When I asked what he would change, he admitted, “Too many of us are civil servant kids—including me. We need people from different parts of society—not just different income levels.” Divisha, for her part, shared that she would like the school to find ways to improve their infrastructure and sustainability. "We need to find a balance between keeping cool in the Delhi heat with air conditioning and lessening our impact on global warming."
We also had the chance to sit in on a history class covering the rise of Nazism. A few girls arrived late; I later learned that "late-joiners" are considered among the top performers, often coming from extracurriculars, which demonstrate their well-roundedness (more pressure, even where holism is encouraged, to be performing?). Despite the classroom’s traditional layout—rows of desks facing forward—the atmosphere was more informal and relaxed than previous school visits. The teacher encouraged students to draw connections between post-WWI Germany and their experiences in contemporary India. The room was equipped with Wi-Fi, a projector, and a screen—resources not available in many government or government-sponsored schools.
The visit concluded with a student-led presentation about many of the school’s points of pride. Sanskriti is India’s first Google Reference School and uses a house system, assigning students to one of four houses from Grade 3 onward: Prakash (Light), Prayas (Effort), Pratigya (Vow), and Prakriti (Environment). We also heard from student leaders of the Project Beta Tech Club and the Interact Club, which focuses on community service. Others presented on social-emotional learning opportunities; international exchange; and a lecture series connecting students with experts.
Our visit to Sanskriti was a powerful reminder of the vast range of educational experiences in India—something the country shares with the United States. While the school’s resources and student opportunities are impressive, they also underscore the structural inequalities that shape access to quality education. As this visit concludes, I find myself continuing to grapple with questions around privilege, opportunity, and equitable education.
Following our visit to Sanskriti School, we spent the rest of the day learning about education from a systems-level perspective through visits to two influential institutions.
Our first stop was the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), which offers a two-year diploma program for aspiring primary school teachers, as well as professional development for in-service educators. We learned about DIET’s efforts to "reassess" India’s exam-driven education system by integrating holistic and values-based approaches—including what they call the "Science of Living" (remember - this is the curriculum that is supposed to replace the Happiness Curriculum beginning in August).
Once again, we split into small groups and rotated through several training sessions for preservice teachers. These included Indian Folk Arts, Learning Theories, Oral Communication, the Indian Knowledge System, and Vedic Maths. Unlike some of the more traditional classroom setups we’ve seen, these rooms were organized for collaboration, with students seated in small groups facing one another—a familiar sight from my own school setting. As I chatted with several teacher candidates, they enthusiastically described the interactive lessons they were designing using puppetry, folk art, and storytelling to teach everything from communication skills to math and environmental stewardship. The young teacher's creativity and energy was inspiring.
Next, we visited NCERT—the National Council of Educational Research and Training. This institution plays a massive role in shaping India’s national curriculum and applying technology to improve teaching, learning, and assessment (including through the creation of educational videos meant to close the "learning gap"). We learned about the "herculean" scope of their work: supporting 1.5 million K–12 schools, nearly 10 million teachers, 260 million students, and 17,000 teacher training institutes preparing over a million new teachers annually.
Like at the West Bengal State Department of Education, we were introduced to an online dashboard that compiles school data to support “data-driven decision-making.” The scale and ambition of these digital tools are remarkable, but they also raise important questions and should be considered critically. We must be cautious not to let massive datasets overshadow the lived experiences of teachers and students in the classroom. Quantitative data can guide, but it cannot fully capture the nuanced realities of learning and teaching on the ground.
We ended our day at Dilli Haat, a bustling open-air market showcasing arts, crafts, and foods from across India. Bargaining is part of the culture here—something I’m not particularly skilled at—but it was fun to watch (and benefit from) some of my TGC colleagues confidently negotiating prices.
From the polished campus of Sanskriti to the interactive teacher prep classrooms at DIET and the policy ambitions of NCERT, today’s experiences continued to offer a multifaceted view of Indian education.
NCERT campus.
Dilli Haat
Lamplighting ceremony at DIET.
India's different state education channels on view at NCERT.
Learning how NCERT edits sound and video.
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