Arunabh Singh: win-win reforms advocacy

– Autar Nehru (Delhi)

Renowned educationist and edupreneur Dr. Arunabh Singh is Director of the CBSE and Cambridge-affiliated Nehru World School, ranked Ghaziabad’s #1 co-ed day school in the EW India School Rankings 2025-26, and also co-founder of Healthy Planet Early Years, Noida, ranked India’s #2 preschool in the EW India Preschool Rankings 2025-26.

Newspeg. On March 21, Singh was elected President of the Association for Reinventing School Education (ARISE), a network of 18,000 private school promoters affiliated with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).

History. A sociology undergrad of Delhi University and education management postgrad of King’s College London, in 2006, Singh took charge of Nehru World School (NWS) from his parents who promoted the school in a modest two-classroom building in 1978. Since then, over the past two decades, Singh has successfully transformed NWS into a progressive top-ranked institution. NWS is the first Cambridge (UK)-affiliated school of Ghaziabad (pop.2.41 million) and also the first K-12 institution in the city to be conferred the British Council’s International School Award (ISA) in 2011.

A Master Trainer certified by British Council to conduct student leadership programmes, Singh also serves as a British Council School Ambassador, advisor to Cambridge International for South Asia, and is an advisor of the International Society for Transforming Education (ISTE), USA.

Direct talk. “My election as President of ARISE — India’s foremost private schools organisation — is a matter of pride but also a test of leadership. As education systems grapple with technological disruption, shifting policy frameworks, and changing societal expectations, the role of collaborative advocacy platforms such as ARISE has become critical. In office at ARISE, my focus will be to strengthen the association, continue meaningful dialogue between the Central and state governments and private schools, to devise win-win reforms. Also to support private schools to navigate 21st-century education complexities. The most significant challenge of private schools is that they are expected to deliver high-quality, future-ready education while operating within a restrictive government regulatory framework. My mission is to leverage the ARISE network to persuade government to implement smart regulation that balances accountability with autonomy and acknowledges private schools as important partners in nation-building,” says Singh.

Future plans. As ARISE moves into its next phase of growth, Singh is focused on increasing its membership and strengthening its three core pillars — policy advocacy, capacity building and knowledge exchange, community and collaboration. “These pillars define ARISE. I am determined to enable ARISE to build a national consensus to initiate thoughtful, inclusive, and sustainable reforms in K-12 education to enable our schools to become globally competitive,” says Singh.

Wind in your sails!