By Gilbert James – Executive Director, The Indian Public School
Los Angeles, July 19, 2012 – It’s a unique association as The South Hill Academy here – http://shacademy.org – merges with South India-based The Indian Public School (TIPS) – http://www.theindianpublicschool.com – which is currently operating a chain of International Baccalaureate (IB) schools in India with a student base of over 5,000. The academy was acquired for US$10 million by TIPS to create a truly global network of international schools.
Founded in 1957,SouthHillsAcademyis one of the prestigious educational institutions in theUS. It’s pursuit of academic excellence and well-rounded character education has shaped the lives of scores of students who are leading illustrious lives in their chosen profession. Some of their noteworthy alumni include global entrepreneurs, scientists, academicians,Hollywoodproducers, musicians, sports stars, media personalities, etc. TheSouthHillAcademyjoined the TIPS group of schools following the floating of 100 percent owned subsidiary in theUSto own and operate the academy.
The parents of theUSschool see the takeover of their school by an international network from an emerging economy likeIndiaas a good opportunity for their children to gain valuable international exposure and understand global realities.Indiais recognized as a knowledge leader and is respected for its values and skills.
Currently TIPS has 10 campuses and plans on creating 20 more campuses inIndiaand 10 campuses abroad in the next five years. Campuses inChina,Malaysia,Qatarand select cities ofIndiaare in different stages of planning and execution. The capital outlay for a state-of-the-art TIPS campus averages around USD 5.5 million without including the cost of real estate. TIPS have projected an investment of USD 55 million for its expansion plans in the next 3 years to be funded through debt and equity.
Commenting onUSpresence, Mr. Ashok Kumar, Chairman, TIPS avers, “Our mission is to nurture inquiring, 
knowledgeable and caring young people who are engaged citizens of the World. We feel that it is not possible to provide a truly global exposure to the students unless you have a truly international presence. Partnering with foreign schools for student exchange programs or relying on virtual exchanges has its limitations and will not equal the real world interactions students can get through your own infrastructure.
For instance, with our directUSpresence, we can achieve seamless integration of delivery of courses. Students on our Indian campuses can opt for continuing their studies in theUSfor two or three months in an academic year to getUSexposure, without losing continuity in education. We also run structured student and faculty exchange programs aimed at contextualizing the meaning and relevance of their knowledge accumulated on a global platform”
Mr. Kumar added that the core academic program followed in TIPS is a global program in every sense of the word. The curriculum followed by TIPS students inIndiais identical to what students learn atTIPSSouthHillAcademyin US. Being a part of the international network, faculty members inIndiaand US too get an opportunity to interact with their peers in other campuses, as they are involved in lesson planning, content creation and delivery of courses. This ensures any child in any country in any city in our school network is globally competitive.
