On the occasion of International Women’s Day, we bring you some of the most notable and distinguished women eduleaders from the education industry to share their incredible journey, insights, and experiences. Here are the excerpts from the interview
Dr Sindhura Ponguru
Director
The Narayana Educational Institutions, India
On women leaders
Women are constantly evolving and reaching new milestones across a wide spectrum of human activities in modern times and are likely to provide an integrated view of work and family, resulting in an engaged and promising personal and professional future. Many more women provide visible leadership today than ever before. Women are gradually making their leadership presence felt in entrepreneurship, administration, education, engineering, health, etc., at regional, national, and global levels. Women are resolved to break the traditional glass ceiling that barred them from entering leadership positions even if they possessed requisite skills and talent to occupy them. We support gender equality at our institutions.
On educational management
As I was growing up, I witnessed first-hand how the Narayana Group under my father transformed the lives of many families from small towns in Andhra Pradesh. Our educational institutions helped students from these rural and semi-urban areas get in to some of the most prestigious universities in the country and then to go on to have successful careers. Consequently, entire families have been able to move into a higher economic stratum.
My early experiences have led me to believe that education is the strongest force in shaping someone’s future. This philosophy is as strong in my mind today as it has ever been. My dream is to expand the access to quality, affordable education to all corners of India.
On managing Narayana Group
As a second-generation entrepreneur, I faced the challenging task of managing the rapid expansion of the Narayana Group into multiple states while ensuring we maintained the core attributes that made us an excellent brand. I harnessed the incredible experience of our senior leadership and keenly listened to their inputs. Second, I identified competent persons within the organization and empowered them. Today, we are present in 23 states and cater to the needs of over 4 lakh students as compared to 2 states and 2 lakh students when I started my journey as the MD of the Narayana Group. It is not always about being the first to have an idea but should be the one who is always seeking out novel solutions.