My journey as an educator started in the early 2000s while I was working in the US. I used to teach Math at after-school programmes for high school students. That gave me a vision of a different school education system from the one I was groomed in. Since then, I had dreamed about setting up a school back in India which could incorporate some of the ideals I learnt in the US. I also taught Business students before my journey started as the founder of The Ivy Global School, then known as The Asnani School, in the year 2011. Throughout my professional journey in Technology, Real estate and infrastructure, may it be in India, the US, or Europe, or my MBA at The Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, I have always been passionate about Education and have been involved with it in some way or the other

My journey in the field of education has been enlightening and self-satisfying. Continuous learning has been a highlight of this road map. With an open mind in trying to understand the merits of the Indian education system and, at the same time, trying to adopt the best practices from other cultures. The capability to mould something for the future of the country is what drove me even in tough times. (One of the most pressing problems of our age is environmental degradation). What we do as Educators today can make a tremendous impact in the coming decades.

One unique feature about your educational institution that makes it different from the other institutions in the country?

While many unique features exist in our school, I would like to point out two here:

• Providing the right balance between sports, education and extracurricular activities, which is the need of the hour to make a well- rounded individual.
• Providing individual attention to each child’s requirements through tools that allow us to monitor key indicators and well-developed processes that enable us to address the issues found. Through this, we come across as a school that truly cares about every child in the true sense of the term.

As an Educator how have you influenced the fellow educators and the education fraternity?

Educators need to be passionate and sincere about their jobs. It is not a side gig, as far as we are considered. At the Ivy Global School, the recruitment policy looks out only for passionate candidates in teaching. Passion, sincerity, and excellence are the characteristics we have tried to instil in our Educators. Educators in our school take this DNA even after they leave the school.

If, as an education influencer, you were given a chance to be the change & See the change in the field of education what would you like the change to be how?

The current education system has mostly evolved from the requirements during the 1st and 2nd stages of the industrial revolution. While we are in midst of the 4th industrial revolution, education itself has not undergone the kind of revolution that was required. While I don’t believe that schools should consider preparing young minds to suit the requirements of the industry a primary focus, I do think real-life skills and character-building is what the prime focus needs to be. Somewhere in between the race to complete the syllabus and conducting exams, we side track the real motive – to build citizens for a better future.

As an Influential Educator how would you encourage developing leadership capacity amongst your fellow colleagues?

Delegation is key. Identifying the right talent to delegate tasks to, and then developing trust and building a sense of ownership among the leaders is key to developing leadership capacity. At The Ivy Global School, we believe in developing leadership at all levels beginning from the grass route level and these leaders finally define the school.

As an Educator how have you influenced society?

Our school is a socially responsible institution, where we focus on going out there and making a difference. Our students interact with many organisations like Blind school, old age homes, and orphanages on a regular basis. We take up causes that matter to the community that we exist in. Every republic day a walkathon concerning a social, environmental, or cultural cause is arranged.

A message you’d like to give to the upcoming professionals in the field of education with regard to the leadership qualities they must possess.

I think in the Indian context, it is pertinent for education leaders to stop viewing their organisations/institutions as fiefdoms. Instead, it is necessary to view them as centres of nurture and growth, where each Educator needs to be at their best in order to create the best of tomorrow.

It is also necessary to not view education just as another business/industry. With chain schools and multi-billion-dollar Edtech companies, it is very easy to slot education into a multitude of systems and processes and create products which look no different from factory products. The world no longer requires such standardized products. We need people who can find and create solutions for the pressing problems of the world and that just cannot happen in a factory. The individual flair of an Educator should never be lost.

How does it feel when your team looks up to you as an influencer and what message would you like to give them?

I feel highly responsible as an Influential Educator. My message to all my fellow colleagues would be that the skills of an Educator matter today more than anything else. Even with all the technology and AI-drive tools, students will still flock to those Educators who can instil in them those special ‘aha’ moments. Stay true to your profession and continuously develop your skills.

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