On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Brainfeed took the opportunity to recognize the efforts of twenty exceptional women leaders in the field of education. We featured them in our cover story “Women Edupreneurs” of March 2023 edition of the Brainfeed Magazine. These women leaders focused and strived for creating a positive ecosystem at their workplace that helped other women in contributing to their fullest and ushering in the much needed change. Each one of these women educational entrepreneurs shared what it took them to successfully complete their entrepreneurial journey during which they have explored and found new identities for themselves and other women working with them.
Here are excerpts from the interview.
Journey as a young Edupreneur
Be it any industry, gone are the days when a Grey-haired person would be calling the shots. Every field demands the freshness of youth and it has been a blessing for me that I come up with no preconceived notions.
Although I must say that it sometimes becomes challenging to take key decisions but a blend of strategy guided by an experienced board of advisors and my gut feeling has helped me reach new heights.
Edupreneurship is an all-encompassing job. How would you describe the same in your case?
Being a young director of three school, my job is definitely demanding coupled with immense accountability and ownership. Management and people skills are a must have to run a school and work with a large team of 200 and above.
How do you ensure good workplace culture at your school?
At Sapphire, we believe that to achieve our mission of “ Every child is a leader” we need passionate teachers who are ready to learn- unlearn and relearn. We believe that a happy teacher creates a happy classroom. We strive to create a learning community, where mistakes aren’t discouraged and opportunities are offered. We have an in-house training and mentoring program for our teacher, several teacher and parent engagement workshops to build trust and work in collaboration. Our Sapphire family Day is around the corner, where we celebrate and spend quality time together.
Message for women who aspire to join the education industry
Evolution of Indian education sector hinges on technological advancement. With the changing technology such as chat GPT, AI , we need a paradigm shift in our school. To bring this change we need more young talent who understands Gen Z and is ready to go that extra mile. Only a community of strong women can raise a brighter future.
Anjali Jain has been the Director of Sapphire International School for the past three years.
A Chartered Accountant by qualification but an educator from heart. , her love for learning and children keeps her going. She knew being a CA wasn’t enough, hence to strengthen her management skills, she did a program from IIM- Ahmedabad and to get subject matter expertise, she pursued a diploma in early childhood education, counselling and guidance and continues to tread an unconventional path.
