About Chaitanya
Introduction
The Chaitanya School, Gandhinagar, founded on Vijayadashami in 2003 by the Shree Vidya Niketan Trust, was established to address a clear gap in Gandhinagar’s education landscape.
At that time, children from service-class and middle-class families had limited access to quality, value-based English-medium schooling that could offer multiple streams to suit the varied aspirations of the city’s youth. Many parents were in transferable jobs with the Air Force, BSF, CRPF, and other services, and sought a school that could prepare their children to compete nationally and internationally while remaining rooted in values.
Unlike schools supported by large foundations or established chains, Chaitanya has grown organically – through loans, self-funding, enrolment growth, and the generosity of well-wishers. It stands as a testament to commitment rather than capital.
What emerged is more than a school: it is an institution founded on the conviction that education is not a business but a service to society. In this spirit, our founders embodied the credo of Satya, Seva, and Sahas (truth, service, and courage) – values that continue to guide us today.
Our Place in Gandhinagar’s Growth
Our Story, Our Promise
Our Philosophy
Our guiding motto has always been “Childhood for the Child, Responsible Adulthood.” We believe that children must enjoy their formative years free from undue stress, while being prepared to grow into responsible, empathetic adults.
On our verdant campus, learning is not about rote memorisation but about understanding, curiosity, and application. Co-curricular activities are not “extra” but an integral part of holistic development.
Core Beliefs
Vision
Quality education for all at an affordable price.
Values
Our founders anchored Chaitanya in the credo of Satya, Seva, and Sahas (truth, service, and courage). These values continue to inspire our culture and shape our community. They guide how we teach, how we learn, and how we contribute to society.
Our Mission
To give back to society, to bridge the urban–rural divide, and to implement pedagogy as per the National Education Policy to the best of our ability.
Message from the Founder-Director
Dear Students, Parents, Teachers, and Friends of Chaitanya,
Chaitanya has successfully established itself as an institution of excellence in the State Capital, and is considered one of the best schools in Gandhinagar. Let me tell you why. At Chaitanya, education is a lifelong journey of growth, curiosity, and compassion justifying its quest for Knowledge, Vitality of Life and Self-knowledge.
A CBSE affiliated School, we facilitate education From Kindergarten to Senior Secondary under one roof. We are proud of our spacious, lush green campus. Located at Lekawada, Chaitanya provides world class education to the children of Gandhinagar and the surrounding towns and villages. You will be interested to know that we subscribed to the methods of the NEP 2020 long before it became mandatory. Our approach fosters reasoning, creativity and empathy through experiential and interdisciplinary learning.
Childhood for the Child and Responsible Adulthood are actual mandates for us at Chaitanya
We have made a gigantic effort to de-stress education for our students.
You will note that Chaitanya is a pioneer, a collaborator, and a far-sighted school. Human beings are blessed with multiple intelligences. At Chaitanya, in order to capture the full range of abilities and talents that children possess, we attempt to expose our students to a variety of disciplines. We introduced Liberal arts in Gandhinagar and that is why we like to believe that its multi-disciplinary liberal education with a strong emphasis on learning across subjects is advantageous. At Chaitanya, we expose students from their early years to integrated disciplines, so that they can make the right choices in their continuing higher education according to their aptitude and interests and prepare them for successful careers and fulfilling lives.
Besides the conventional Science, Maths and Commerce subjects that every school offers, Chaitanya is proud to be offering an enviable choice of subjects to our students: Legal studies, Economics, Psychology, Political Science, History. to give students ample opportunities to choose future careers according to their aptitude or inclination. We also believe that all languages are a prime tool of communication and is most important for the study of all subjects. Every activity — academic or co-curricular — is designed not as an “extra”, but as an integral part of shaping responsible, reflective adults. The strength of Chaitanya lies in the collaboration and co-operation of the school with parents, and teachers — all united by a common purpose: the well-being of the Child.
Chaitanya has always been known for its happy blend of tradition and modernity. This integration is the hall-mark of Chaitanya School which has all the qualities of an institution of excellence.
As an English medium school, we use the English language as a very necessary communication tool, but we never ignore the diversity of our roots. We believe in taking the best out of all cultures, traditions, religions and languages to make our children good and tolerant human beings. Chaitanya believes that we must Emphasize the Similarities and Celebrate the Differences among all peoples. De-stressing Education with the active co-operation of parents, teachers and children is of prime importance at Chaitanya School Gandhinagar.
The parent- school relationship is almost always confrontational when it should be most collaborative. In the more than 2 decades that I have been Director of Chaitanya I have observed that parents are pre-conditioned to be suspicious of the school and management. All of us must realise that Education has to be a partnership between us – the parents and the school.
We must recognise that we need each other – the Parent and the School. We must work together as partners to achieve the best results. If the school has to be child-centric the relationship between the school and the parent has to be based on mutual Trust and Respect for the Core Competencies of the School. This will ensure a school of excellence which will provide for all-round development of the child and help him/her grow into a fine adult.
As parents and educators, at the end of the day, we can justify our claim to have created the leaders and opinion makers of tomorrow only if we partner excellence in Education whole-heartedly.
When we set up Chaitanya School 23 years ago, we were motivated by the definition of a school: I quote..
“…….you go to a great school not so much for knowledge as for arts and habits; for the habit of attention, for the art of expression, for the art of assuming at a moment’s notice a new intellectual position, for the art of entering quickly into another person’s thoughts, for the habit of submitting to censure and refutation, for the art of indicating assent or dissent in graduated terms, for the habit of regarding minute points of accuracy, for the art of working out what is possible in a given time, for taste, for discrimination, for mental courage, and for mental soberness.”
– William Johnson Cory (1823-1892)
Chaitanya believes in all of the above.
As we embrace new ideas and technologies, our focus remains unwavering — to provide quality education that is accessible and affordable. The Shree Vidya Niketan Trust (SVNT), believes in the credo of giving back to society, guiding Chaitanya as it remains steadfast in its mission to make holistic, value-based learning available to all, without compromising on excellence. For the SVNT education is a service, not a business. Dear Students, we wish to equip you with the spirit to navigate this complex and uncertain world, and develop life skills, which will make a difference to yourself and the world around you. Build your castles in the air; Chaitanya will put foundations under them. I convey our best wishes to all of you on behalf of the School Management.
Elizabeth Koshy
Hon. Director
Chaitanya School Gandhinagar
Leadership
Smt Swati Matta
Shri Nipul Thaker
The Shree Vidya Niketan Trust
The Shree Vidya Niketan Trust (SVNT) was founded by a group of eminent professionals, educationists and retired civil servants who had dedicated decades of service to Gujarat. The Trust embodies the principle that education is a mission and not a business. Its purpose is to ensure that quality, affordable, value-based schooling reaches families across Gandhinagar.
Over the years, SVNT has guided Chaitanya’s development, provided oversight on finances and strategy, and ensured that the school remains deeply rooted in its ethos of service, truth, and courage.
The governance of Chaitanya is anchored in the active involvement of its Trust, Advisory Council, and Management Committee. Regular meetings of the Trust and the school’s Management Team ensure that quality and commitment remain at the heart of all decisions. Trustees remain engaged in oversight and policy-making, while advisors contribute their expertise through participation in special initiatives ranging from pedagogy to community engagement.
Tribute to Shri Prafull Anubhai
Chairman Emeritus, Shree Vidya Niketan Trust
Shri Prafull Anubhai has long been associated with educational institutions like Indian Institute of Management (MA), Ahmedabad Education Society (AES), and till recently he was the Chairman of the Board of Management of the Ahmedabad University. He is also the Hon Director of Saptak Archives, an institution dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of Indian Classical Music. He graduated from the London School of Economics and has 30 years of experience as a Chief Executive of a Textile Manufacturing Operation He is also Corporate Advisor to many well-known institutions
We were privileged to have Shri Prafullbhai lead our team of the Sree Vidya Niketan Trust (SVNT) for more than 2 decades.
They say Character is what you are in the dark because Character is what comes through in times of crises and springs from an inexhaustible source of conviction and courage.
We have witnessed this in good measure with Shri Prafull Anubhai at the helm of the Sree Vidya Niketan Trust as Chairman. As a Trust we were all agreed on the various credos that prompted us to set up Chaitanya School in the first place – beginning with Education is not a Business; Childhood for the Child and Giving back to Society We could adhere to these common- core beliefs and values because Shri Prafullbhai led from the front. He provided us with vital visionary leadership, the support both monetary and otherwise, to ensure the success of the institution, and most importantly, he walked the talk in every which way without ever treading on anyone’s toes.
Shri Prafullbhai now steps aside from the Chairmanship, handing the baton to Ms Rita Teaotia, the new Chairperson. We are honoured to have him continue on the Advisory Council of the SVNT. With an Attitude of Gratitude, we acknowledge his enormous contribution to the building of Chaitanya School Gandhinagar. We also reassure ourselves that it is possible to reach our objective of providing quality education at an affordable price without compromising our core principles and ethics. He taught us the meaning of Grace under Pressure.
Thank you, Prafullbhai.