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
Vani Raju
Director
Ganges Valley School, Hyderabad
A firm believer that schools play a huge role in sensitising boys and making them understand the need to treat girls and women as equals, Vani Raju is leaving no stone unturned in her efforts on this front. Most fields have opened up to women only fairly recently due to an unduly biased patriarchal system, and yet they have already excelled in the fields of art, banking and commerce, engineering and research, medicine and research and politics. Despite the late start, women are racing ahead to achieve gender parity, so the ‘glass ceiling’ is rapidly being eroded says Vani Raju.
Speaking on women in education she says, “A woman is a born ‘nurturer’ and naturally, teaching comes intuitively to her. Therefore, it isn’t surprising that women have carved a niche for themselves in the field of education and are leagues ahead of the opposite gender in this area. Schools can lay the foundation for confidence – a belief in one’s self, a belief that nothing is improbable if they set their sights on it and systematically work towards it, a belief that they are unique can be established.
On her own journey and interest in education, Vani says, “I always felt I could have been a better learner had teaching been more inspiring and less focused on rote learning. Being part of a family that is invested in higher education, I realized there was a felt need to ‘catch them young’ to make a true difference and prepare them for the future.” She further adds, “My own children went to a Waldorf school and their teaching philosophy appealed to me. Besides, it is quite similar to our ancient Gurukul system, with its emphasis on involving the mind, body and heart in education in its entirety.”
Thus began the idea of Ganges Valley School, to make a difference. We are 10 years old now and look back on this decade’s journey with a sense of satisfaction, but with the realization that we have a long journey ahead – excellence is always one step ahead.
Continuous and sustained professional development is an area that is close to her heart. Vani shares, “We, at Ganges have a well-established system of ensuring that our teachers get the kind of support they need – academic, emotional, and professional. Our vision is to create a community where learning is joyful and a way of life. Sahaya, ‘Competing to give’ our social outreach year-long, inter-school competitions includes teaching-learning, activities, till the essence of the cause becomes a way of life for our children. After all these children will run our nations one day!
