Thirty-one years in Gadwal
A school that has stayed in the same neighbourhood of Gadwal, serving the same community, since 1995.
How the school began
Pragathi Vidya Nikethan High School was started in 1995 in B.C. Colony, Kunta Veedhi, Gadwal. It was established with the aim of providing English-medium education to children in the local community.
For more than three decades the school has remained connected to the community it serves. More than 5,000 children have studied here, and many families continue to be part of the school's journey — some now sending a second generation through the same gate.
Safe to ask, expected to try
A place where questions are welcome
Children learn best in an environment where they feel safe, respected and encouraged to ask questions.
Discipline, and room to get things wrong
We expect children to be disciplined, punctual, respectful and responsible. At the same time, mistakes are a natural part of learning and should be used as opportunities to improve.
Parents and teachers on the same side
If a child needs additional support, parents should know early, so that the school and the family can work on a solution together.
What we are working towards
To help every child grow into a confident, capable and responsible person through quality education, good values and meaningful learning experiences.
How we go about it
To provide children with a strong academic foundation, personal attention and opportunities to develop communication, discipline, creativity, confidence and a sense of responsibility.
We aim to create a learning environment where children understand what they learn, respect others, discover their strengths and prepare themselves for the future.
Seven words we use often
Learning
We encourage children to understand, question and keep learning.
Discipline
We value punctuality, good manners, responsibility and respect.
Care
We pay attention to the individual needs of every child.
Honesty
We believe in clear and honest communication with parents and students.
Culture
We respect our culture, traditions, language and heritage.
Service
We encourage children to care for their community and environment.
Confidence
We give children opportunities to speak, participate, compete and express themselves.
“Come and see us, then decide.”
We started Pragathi Vidya Nikethan in 1995 in B.C. Colony with one aim: that a child from Gadwal should be able to get a good English-medium education without having to leave home for it. That aim has not changed.
Thirty-one years later, the question parents ask me most often is still the same one — will my child be looked after here? My answer is that we keep our classes small enough that a teacher knows every child by name. Small enough to notice when a child has gone quiet, or has stopped following the lesson, and to tell you early — not at the end of the year, when it is too late to do much about it.
How we teach has changed a great deal in these years. In the early classes we work through play — songs, activity, handwriting, things a child can hold and do — because a young child learns with the whole body, not by sitting still. From there, the digital lessons in our classrooms carry the same idea forward: a concept shown, discussed, and then explained back to us in the child's own words. We would rather a student explain an answer badly in their own English than repeat a correct one they do not understand.
Alongside the syllabus, we push children to step outside the classroom — Olympiads and Foundation classes, science exhibitions, Scouts and Guides, elocution and drawing competitions, rallies for causes that matter in our town. A child who has stood on a stage, built a working model or marched in a parade carries something into the examination hall that no textbook provides.
I should also say plainly what we expect in return. We expect punctuality, honesty and good manners — from the students, and from ourselves. And we expect parents to talk to us, early and directly. A school and a family that disagree quietly help nobody. A school and a family that speak openly can solve almost anything.
If you are considering this school for your child, please come and see us. Walk through the classrooms, stand on the ground, watch how the children speak to their teachers. Then decide. You are welcome on any working day.
T. Savaranna, B.A., B.Ed.
Principal & Correspondent
