Hyderabad Public School seeks a bigger hat for tech feathers

Hyderabad: What do Microsoft, Wipro, MasterCard and Adobe, among other such top tech giants, have in common? They are (or have been) led by alumni of Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet. It is certainly no accident that the school has churned out so many tech leaders, with probably many more to come.

So, what does HPS exactly do differently, for such results?

"To tell you honestly, there is no secret ingredient. Children are given the freedom to think on what and how they want to learn and understand things around them. This makes it easy for the child to make decisions for themselves," said Neetha Reddy P., middle school coordinator (academics) and head of department, computer science.

HPS, she said, has always been particular about how a child understands and perceives science and technology. "We give them a platform to showcase their skill and create an environment where they teach themselves. We seize any opportunity to conduct a workshop, event, pep talk and alumni interactions," she said.

Students are exposed to computer science not only as part of their curriculum but for practical purposes. "We also have a teach-learn programme where Class 11 students select a topic they are interested in; they range from movie making, animation, doodling, Python programme to digital content. Every computer science student has to pick a topic for the year and teach students of lower classes over the weekend, after school hours. This encourages them to learn, not for an exam but more," Reddy shared.

The school also hosts inter-house tech competitions. "We happen to be the first school from Hyderabad to have an IT-based quiz contest with national level fests and other such tech rituals," she said.

Students at HPS are also encouraged to help set up their own lab and suggest the latest technology updates, as it creates a curious and experimentative ground. "If and when they fail, it only prepares them for whatever is to come later," Reddy said.

Alumni anecdotes

Karthik Kondepudi, Batch of 2005

The Tamarind Heist: One afternoon, we decided to raid the tamarind tree in the principal's backyard. Hetting to the tree was like infiltrating the White House. We had to jump the wall. There were six of us, I was on lookout duty. We forgot one crucial detail: the principal's lunchtime/nap time. Unfortunately, he happened to peek out of his window and spotted the five of us. The guards were onto us in a flash. However, I managed to bolt. The rest of the gang was caught by security. One of them thought he was a superhero and tried to jump off the tree to freedom. Spoiler alert: he didn't make it and ended up breaking a leg. You had to be there to truly appreciate the hilarity of it all.

Supriya Yarlagadda, Batch of 1980s

The Extra Treat: It was the 80s, there were just four girls in our batch. One of the perks of being a girl was that if there were a birthday celebration in our class, we used to get extra chocolates. During school functions, we also got extra snacks from the canteen. The guys always made us feel special.

Jagannath Sarangapani, Batch of 1985

Extra PT for all: It was 1980, I was in the 7th-8th class and India's first Airbus simulator was being delivered by an Air France jumbo jet — the first time such a large aircraft was landing in Hyderabad. The school bunked classes and took to the backfield, sitting on the stadium stairs, on the rocks to watch the plane land. It was such an incredible day. Even more fun was that the entire school did extra PT that day for bunking classes.

Gusti J. Noria, Batch of 1973

Flooding the floor: One Saturday, my friend and I didn't complete our social map pointing homework. The map bundles were kept in the social staff room. To sneak into it, we had to jump over a wall from the washroom. On both sides of the wall, there were wash basins. When my friend he got down on the other side, he broke the basin of the staff room. This caused water to flow out and we pretty much flooded the second floor. My friend and I almost got suspended and were fined Rs 800. My mother was completely unaware of this and when she asked me about the extra money being paid in the fee, I lied, saying for the infrastructural development.