A new innings at SBA

The Sarala Birla Academy (SBA), a boarding school for boys based in Bangalore have announced the commencement of admission process from class V to IX for 2005-06 academic session. The academic session will commence on June 1, 2005. Addressing a press conference in the Capital, the headmaster of the SBA Vinay Pande said, "The entrance test is going to take place on second Sunday of February, 2005 in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore.The will consist questions in English and mathematics. A separate section in the test will test a child's proficiency in life skills, which include psychology and general awareness. The results of the test will be declared in March, and the final result is expected to be declared on April 30." The SBA is planning to invite all aspirants and their parents for an interview irrespective of a child's performance in the test. The written test will carry a weightage of 70 per cent and interview 30 per cent. "We don't want to deny an admission to a child just because he hasn't done too well in the written test. Parents, moreover, will be interviewed to ensure that there is convergence of views with the SBA on issues like Indian culture and values," added Pande. The SBA, in the words of the chairman of the governing council of the school Kumar Managalam Birla strives to "orient educational and developmental processes in a manner that groom students into leaders in their chosen fields. Our vision is to ignite minds and create in student a love for learning and continuous development by making the learning an enjoyable experience". Speaking on the occasion, the director-education of the Aditya Birla Group Shyam Ganguli remarked, "A diversified curriculum comprising the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination, the International General Certificate of Secondary Education boards, and the International Baccalaureate brings the best among contemporary education at the SBA. The school has only 24 students in a class with teacher-student ratio is 1:10." The SBA began its first academic year in June 2004. For the academic year 2005-06, the school plans to admit 112 students from class V to IX. The SBS has planned to open every year one additional class upto class XII. The annual fees-cum-boarding charge per child is Rs 2.5 lakh. Scholarships will be provided to students on need-cum-merit basis. www.saralabirlaacademy.org