Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram
Delhi Public School (DPS), R. K. Puram (often called "DPS RKP" or "RKP") is a co-educational day and boarding private school educating pupils from the 6th to 12th grades, located in the South Delhi district of New Delhi, India. In addition, two separate campuses in Vasant Vihar and East of Kailash comprise the Junior or Elementary School Branch for pupils from Nursery through the 5th grade. DPS R.K. Puram often features at the top of various rankings for academic excellence. DPS R.K.Puram is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and  is recognized by the Department of Education, Govt. of NCT Delhi and the Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India. It is also a member of the Indian Public Schools' Conference (IPSC) and the National Progressive Schools' Conference (NPSC). History. Founded in 1972 in New Delhi, DPS R.K. Puram is a private institution run by the not-for-profit Delhi Public School Society. Ms Lathashishtha served as its first Headmistress. It was the second school founded by the Delhi Public School Society, the first being the Delhi Public School at Mathura Road, and today serves as the Society's flagship school . In 1978, Mr. R. S. Lugani was appointed as the school's first principal. He served as Principal until 1992, and is credited with pioneering the "DPS R.K. Puram" system, which utilizes a combination of innovative teaching methods and a result-oriented curriculum and evaluation system in order to maintain consistently high academic standards. In 1992, Mr Lugani was awarded the Government of India's fourth highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri award, by then-President of India, R. Venkataraman for his contributions in the fields of Education and Literature. Mr Lugani was succeeded by then-Vice Principal, Dr. (Mrs. ) Shayama Chona–an internationally renowned educationist and disability rights activist–who served as the school's Principal from 1992 until her retirement in August 2009. Under her leadership, the school stewarded the establishment of the Tamana Special School, a school for the education of children with special needs. During her tenure, the school also began admitting students with visual and other impairments. Dr Chona was conferred with the Padma Shri in 1999, and subsequently with the Government of India's third-highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan award in 2008–making her the only educationist to receive two of the  country's four highest civilian honours. In 2002, the school was felicitated at the "Computer Literacy Excellence Awards for Schools" by then-President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam as the "Best School at the State (Delhi) Level" and the second runner-up in the entire country. After Dr Chona's retirement from the position of Principal in the year 2009, Dr D.R. Saini served as Principal till March 2015, when he was succeeded by Ms Vanita Sehgal. Ms Sehgal was succeeded by Ms Padma Srinivasan in April 2020. Since its founding, DPS R.K. Puram has maintained its standing  as one of the most exclusive selective schools in India. In 2014, for example, 2,800 applications were received for 140 Nursery school spots this year, yielding an admissions rate of only 5 per cent, which–as The New York Times noted–rivals that of top universities in the United States. Campus. The school is a day and boarding school with 9,500 students on its rolls. It is situated in the heart of South Delhi urban area and has a campus of over 12 acres, along with a separate sports campus spread over 6 acres. Hostel accommodation is also provided to  more than 400 boarders from across the country . The hostel facility is separate for boys and girls. Competition for a place in one of the hostels is intense and is awarded on a merit-only basis. Incidents. The DPS MMS scandal of 2004 was a scandal caused by the unconsented sharing of an explicit video filmed by a student at the school. The scandal caused widespread sensation across India.