F A Q

Since the school year in India begins in April then how will the foreign students catch up?

Ans : Our summer vacation will start on 29th April and the school will reopen on 15th June. It is expected that foreign students will join us by then. What ever course period is missed will be covered by special teaching sessions.
What are the details about the subjects and course work?

Ans : The CBSE )Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi) courses are taught in about 5100 schools in the world. We are following that curriculum with modification and variations. However, details are available in our curriculum handbook. CBSE Syllabus
Will the students be provided with lockers in school?

Ans : There will be no lockers in school since every girl will have a locker/cupboard in her residence.
For those requiring additional help, will there be any provision for private tuitions or private extra classes?

Ans : Only girls who need constant support to cope with the class will be given extra help. Private tuitions are not allowed as it resorts to spoonfeeding the child - which we want to discourage. If the girl requires extra support, we will do it at our end.
What will be the system on school progress reports? Will the parents receive any monthly or periodic reports?

Ans : Continuous comprehensive evaluation is achieved through cycles of weekly tests and quarterly assessment by the class teacher on scholastic and non-scholastic parameters. Student achievement is depicted through a grade scale.
Total 6 tests are taken in a year. There is a provision for re-test twice a year (December/April) in 2 subjects. Comments will be given for performance in non-scholastic skills and competencies. We will be sending 4 reports to the parents during the year. The first, second and third report will be sent after Test 1, 3 and 5 respectively. The fourth and final report (cumulative report) will be sent after Test 6.
What will be the vacation schedule? How many vacations will they get? Will the summer vacation coincide with the schedule in USA, UK, etc. so that girls having brothers/sisters can spend time together?

Ans : Here we would be following the Indian holiday schedule. It could perhaps be the same or could differ from their counterparts abroad. There will be two main vacations.
- Summer Vacation for 7 weeks
- Diwali Vacation for 3 weeks
What will be the dress code in school and hostel (shorts, skirts, and other likes are allowed or not)?

Ans : There is a school dress and a sports dress (The school will provide them). Apart from that, the dress code requires neatness and modesty. No offending or indecent words or graphics on clothes will be allowed. Skirts should be up to knee length.
What are the list of things that the child needs to bring with her for school and hostel?

Ans : For more information click here : - English, Gujarati
Is the hostel and school air-conditioned?

Ans : No, because when the hot summer arrives it is vacation period in India. However, with the walls and ceilings of the building being hollow, they serve as good insulators and thereby mitigate the tropical heat of the atmosphere to a considerable degree. Every classroom has 5 fans and the dorms have about 15 fans each. Ample landscaping also reduces the heat further.
Will the girls be allowed any electrical/electronic gadgets in the school/hostel such as a camera, walkman, radio, etc.?

Ans : No. TV, radio, tape-recorder, walkman, etc. will not be permitted. Controlled use of a camera will only be allowed.
Will the student be required to wash their clothes?

Ans : No. There will be laundry arrangements.
Will the girls be allowed toys, stuffed animals, etc. in the hostel?

Ans : Yes, if they are not too bulky.
Will hostel accommodation be provided according to grade, class, age, or country?

Ans : A well equipped dormitory accommodates a group of 20 girls of age group 9 to 11. For age group of 12 to 14 the dormitory size is restricted to 10. The girls beyond this age group will reside in groups of three per room. The hostel accommodation will be provided according to the House arrangements. Hence mixed arrangement will be made for each dormitory. The dormitory will have girls of different age, grade, class and country. However, international students will initially stay together till they acclimatize with the school environment.
What arrangements do you have for personal care in the hostel?

Ans : There is a Gruh Mata who resides on campus and 1 Gruh Sanchalika for 20 girls to take care of them for 24 hours. The Gruh Sanchalikas have been selected with great care; they are dedicated satsangi women capable of affording loving care to the inmates.
What will be the visa/immigration process initially and thereafter from year to year considering that the student may or may not return home for vacation?

Ans : Please obtain specific information from the Indian Embassy in your country by presenting the admission document of Swaminarayan Vidyapith. All formalities of visa/immigration should be carried out by parent/guardian personally. In case of vacation air/railway ticket booking, etc. is to be done by the parent/guardian. However, Swaminarayan Vidyapith will extend fullest cooperation for ensuring the child a comfortable journey.
Can the girls bring electronic toys (video games, etc) and other games with them?

Ans : No. Such gadgets will be discouraged. Besides, we have ample provisions for quality entertainment and leisure.
What is included in the fees? What other expenses does a family have to plan for?

Ans : The fee structure includes tution and term-fees, worksheet/textbooks, guidance and counselling fees, along with charges for meals, furnished accommodation, laundry, school and sports uniforms, in house medical check-up (for medicine extra charges). However, it doesn't include charges for :-
- Stationery
- Excursions / tours / field trips and school visits
- E-mail facilities
- Any area where special training is needed for academic or co-curricular activities or where
constant support to a child is needed for academic development.
When, in what way and how often can the parents contact their daughters? Will e-mail access be available? If yes, will there be separate accounts/terminals?

Ans : The school has a systematic mail and telephone calls procedure. Parents are given printed envelopes for correspondence with their daughter. Telephone calls are allowed every fortnight only through the hostel STD/PCO. E-mails can be sent once a week, however there are no individual accounts or terminals. Parents are allowed to meet the child once every two months. In case of emergencies one can meet the child with prior appointment.
When and how often can a local guardian/relative contact the child?

Ans : They can meet her once in two months on a specified Sunday. I-cards will be issued for the parents/local guardians.
Can the child keep food/snacks/other things brought by the guardian/relative?

Ans : Snacks or other eatables are not allowed in the rooms.
Can the child buy some snack food from outside?

Ans : No. But she can buy it from the Bhakti consumer store.
What are the arrangements for girls requiring periodic eye/dental check-ups?

Ans : An optician/dentist visits regularly for the purpose and if needed girls are taken to a local ophthalmologist/dentist/orthodentist.
During vacation and holidays can the girls go to relatives/come home or will there be activities/tours planned from the Vidyapith?

Ans : Long vacations and day outs are meant for home visits. Students will not visit relatives/parents during other holidays because tours and other activities will be planned.
What are the details about the school regarding the number of teachers, student to teacher ratio, name and experience of the teachers, etc.

Ans : The classes are from grades 4 to 8 and each grade will have two sections. The student-teacher ratio is 11:1. There are a total of 27 teachers. Our faculty is sourced from all over India and they have undergone world class training.
If a child has a special skill (like playing the piano, bagpipes, etc.) and is pursuing some kind of activity, is there any facility to continue the same?

Ans : Swaminarayan Vidyapith will encourage such hobbies. Encouragement in itself means all sorts of support in pursuing it further. Nearly all Indian musical instruments are available in our music room. Training for instruments like bagpipes, etc. is not possible for the present.
Some girls are currently pursuing special talent classes - eg. 'Bharat Natyam'. They have completed 3-4 years of formal training and would like to continue training. What will be the provision for such cases?

Ans : Encouragement will be provided by our dance teacher. Popular dance forms will naturally be taught or the girls can choose from the ones which suit them in consultation with the dance teacher.
High school graduates in USA are eligible to apply for scholarships and loans for further studies. But will high school foreign students graduating from Swaminarayan Vidyapith be eligible to apply for scholarships and loans to continue their studies in USA?

Ans : Perhaps the US authorities will be able to help you in this regard.
Give complete details about medical and health issues.

Ans : Provision for a daily visit by a doctor and a fulltime nurse have been made. All cases requiring hospital treatment are taken care of at the 500-bed hospital in Pramukh Swami Medical College, Karamsad. There will be medical check-ups periodically. Parents can insure their daughters (approx. Mediclaim is 0.6% per thousand) at their cost.
What kind of entertainment and sports activities are provided?

Ans : Picnics, city visits and excursions are planned regularly. Selected educational films, cartoon films, motivational films, clippings from Discovery channel/National Geographic channel, etc. are also shown from time to time. Sports activities include badminton, basketball, volleyball, football, caramboard, chess, scrabble and other innovative games like kho-kho, kabbadi, etc.
What if a girl does not have any relatives or guardians in India?

Ans : A local guardian is necessary for the benefit of the girl. If however, there is no guardian then Swaminarayan Vidyapith will take care of arrival/departure from the international airport from Ahmedabad or accomodate the girl in a known family during day-outs or vacations.
Which other languages will the girls be required to learn except English?

Ans : The CBSE has English as the primary language. There is an option of choosing another language, i.e. Hindi or Gujarati. We will help the girls to make an intelligent choice or the parents can discuss it when they come here or can trust us to do the needful.
Can you provide some information on the admission process for those families who are planning to come and see the facility before making a decision to join?

Ans : You are welcome to visit and experience the campus. But for admission, your child has to undergo the set admission procedure. She will be eligible for admission upon qualifying the test, then after the fees will be accepted. If later the girl feels like leaving, we regret we will not be able to refund the fees.