EducationWorld, in collaboration with the Boarding Schools Association of India (BSAI), hosted the second edition of Education Leadership Retreat 2024 at Sunbeam School, Varuna, Varanasi from December 21-23.
The grand inaugural ceremony commenced with the traditional lamp-lighting in the presence of eminent dignitaries, including Dr. Sumer Singh (president, The Boarding Schools Association of India (BSAI)), Dilip Thakore (publisher/editor, EducationWorld), Dr. Deepak Madhok (chairperson, Sunbeam Group of Educational Institutions), Bharti Madhok (vice-chairperson, Sunbeam Group of Educational Institutions), Siddharth Singh (director, The Emerald Heights International School, Indore), Bhavin Shah (CEO, Education World), Summiya Yasmeen (managing editor, EducationWorld), Seema Jhingan (partner, Lex Counsel, Delhi), Koustav Dey (co-founder, Jodo), Sonali Ghosh, (Head Business Development-Education & Healthcare, Axis Finance Limited), Prodipta Hore (program director, Birla Education Academy, Mumbai), Dr. Sheela Mallya (principal, Children’s Academy, Mumbai) and the board members of Sunbeam Group of Educational Institutions.
Day 1 commenced with a mesmerising orchestra performance by the students of Sunbeam School, Varuna and a cultural presentation by Sunbeam School, Sarnath & Sunbeam School, Lahartara. Dr. Sumer Singh shared his thoughts on the theme ‘Empowering Changemakers, Transformative Leaders,’ followed by Dilip Thakore’s insightful address.
The second day featured an enlightening session by Siddharth Singh, who spoke on ‘Ensuring a secure learning environment: Comprehensive school safety frameworks & practices’. Seema Jhingan addressed the audience on legal compliance and child safety policies. Koustav Dey from Jodo shared his perspective on ‘Making fee collection invisible’ followed by a panel discussion on the topic ‘Building a stronger workforce: Bridging the gap between teacher training and classroom reality’ with notable speakers such as Prodipta Hore (program director, Aditya Birla Education Academy, Mumbai), Dr. Sheela Mallya, (principal, Children’s’ Academy, Ashok Vihar, Mumbai), Amrita Burman (director, Sunbeam Group of Educational Institutions, Varanasi ), Vibha Kapoor (principal, Welham Girls’ School, Dehradun), Abhishek Bagchi (principal, Presidency School, Banashankari, Bengaluru), moderated by Summiya Yasmeen (managing editor, EducationWorld).
In the afternoon session, Saurav Sinha (principal, Mayo College, Ajmer) delivered the keynote address on ‘Strategies to build future-ready, resilient global education brands’. This was followed by a panel discussion on ‘Scaling education: The benefits and challenges of chain schools vs. single-owned schools’. Panelists included Neera Singh (principal, Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girls’ Public School, Jodhpur), Sachin Vats (founder, Gurukul The School, Ghaziabad), Dr. Deepak Madhok (chairperson, Sunbeam Group of Educational Institutions, Varanasi), Rakesh Gupta (managing partner, LoEstro Advisors), Subramanyam Kantheti (CEO, BVM Global Schools, (Veranda K-12) and Neeta Raina (director, New Initiatives and Strategic Planning, The Millennium Schools). The session was moderated by Bhavin Shah (CEO, Education World). Sonali Ghosh (Head Business Development-Education & Healthcare, Axis Finance Limited) spoke about ‘Tailored lending solutions for Education sector’.
On Day 3, Swati Ganeti (director, Masters’ Union) spoke about ‘Driving student success: Looking beyond academics in a fast-changing world’ and Shikha Agnihotri (founder, Right Side Story) captivated the audience with her Masterclass on ‘POSH Act, 2013: Creating gender-equitable harassment-free and legally compliant education spaces’.
During the concluding ceremony, Dr. Deepak Madhok (chairperson, Sunbeam Group of Educational Institutions) and Bharti Madhok (vice-chairperson) delivered their closing remarks and Pratima Gupta (assistant director, Sunbeam Group of Educational Institutions) proposed the vote of thanks. She also appreciated everyone’s contributions in making the event a special one.
The event, which brought together approximately 200 educators from across the country, marked an important milestone in the boarding schools’ collective journey towards excellence.
Also read: