Regular readers of this publication are surely well aware that there’s much that is wrong with the nation’s education system shaped by indifferent governments at the Centre and in the constituent states of the Indian Union. Despite the country being blessed or cursed – the jury is still out on this issue – with the world’s largest child population, for post-independence India’s uniquely insensitive genre of politicians, public education is a peripheral, low priority issue. Unfortunately even the country’s intelligentsia and influential middle class which has recourse to qualitatively superior private education, is unmindful of the nation’s crumbling public education system. This bodes ill for hundreds of millions of Indians confronted with the prospect of competing with well-educated adults from the western world in the newly emergent global economy. In this pre-summer issue, EducationWorld profiles an eclectic mix of 25 school principals across the country who are reshaping and redefining school education Against the backdrop of a public school education system plagued by severe shortages of buildings, equipment, drinking water and toilet facilities, chronic teacher absenteeism and abysmal learning outcomes, the country’s small private school education system which absorbs an estimated 25 percent of India’s school-going child population, is a shining contrast. It is mainly responsible for educating and shaping the growing number of captains of industry and business professionals who following liberalisation and deregulation of the Indian economy in the early 1990s have emerged as a force to reckon with in the rapidly crystallising global marketplace for products, services and ideas. Nevertheless it is arguable that by global standards, even much-prized private sector school education has some catching up to do. In particular, the best primary and secondary schools are often criticised for promoting rote learning, excessive focus on academics, insularity, insensitivity to public welfare beyond institutional gates and lack of problem-solving cultures, among other acts of commission and omission. However as the continuous increase in the enrollment of foreign students in India’s best private schools testifies, there is a growing number of primary-cum-secondary schools which are blessed with well-informed leaders implementing best global education practices in their institutions. In this pre-summer issue, EducationWorld profiles an eclectic mix of 25 school principals across the country who are reshaping and redefining school education. Please note that our cover story doesn’t state or imply that the 25 leader-principals profiled herein are the best or only school principals implementing contemporary best practices and redefining primary and secondary education. This list collated on the basis of informal expert opinion is exclusive but not exhaustive. We are sure there are many other school leaders and principals doing as good – perhaps even better – work for the betterment of their institutions. Details of their achievements will be published in due course. Meanwhile we hope that the education philosophy and best practices adopted by the principals profiled in this first-of-its-type cover story, will inspire school leaders countrywide to improve and upgrade standards in institutions under their watch. Blue-chip educationist Over the past quarter century since he quit a plum job…
