{"id":2351,"date":"2018-11-02T21:15:40","date_gmt":"2018-11-02T21:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/?p=2351"},"modified":"2018-11-02T21:15:40","modified_gmt":"2018-11-02T21:15:40","slug":"turning-the-page-how-indias-state-schools-are-being-revitalised","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/2018\/11\/02\/turning-the-page-how-indias-state-schools-are-being-revitalised\/","title":{"rendered":"Turning the page: how India’s state schools are being revitalised"},"content":{"rendered":"

U<\/span><\/span>ntil recently, Maniram Mandiwal felt like just another cog in the wheel. The headteacher of Rajasthan\u2019s Shaheed Col Jayprakash Janu secondary school left work as soon as he could. He didn\u2019t know any of his pupils by name, and took no interest in his staff. Mandiwal had spent a quarter of a century in teaching without ever experiencing a \u201cspecial classroom moment\u201d.<\/p>\n

Recently, though, all that changed. With a class nearing its end, some of the children said: \u201cDon\u2019t go yet, sir, we\u2019re enjoying this.\u201d It was the first time he had heard such a thing. He was touched.<\/p>\n

Mandiwal puts it all down to a training course he attended designed to rewire headteachers from faceless functionaries into inspirational leaders, delivering high quality education to young Indians whose lives depend on it.<\/p>\n

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He now knows the names of most of his pupils and thinks constantly about how to improve his school in Rajasthan\u2019s Jhunjhunu district. \u201cWhenever I go out shopping for anything for the house, I always buy it for the school. I never had this commitment before,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Mandiwal is one of 700 school principals in Rajasthan, mostly men, who have been trained to keep sinking state schools afloat. Another 1,736 are undergoing training. The programme is run by the\u00a0Foundation for Education Leadership<\/a>, set up by Piramal, whose founders come from Jhunjhunu.<\/p>\n

Previous attempts to improve India\u2019s dismal education system had focused on teachers, the classroom and the curriculum \u2013 never on principals.<\/p>\n

Training principals to become \u201ceducation leaders\u201d is the ambition of Aditya Natraj, the foundation\u2019s CEO. The idea was spawned after the 2001\u00a0earthquake in Gujarat<\/a>, when Natraj, who was working at an education NGO, arrived in the affected area eager to restart schools that had been destroyed.<\/p>\n

A headteacher who lived in another part of the state had beaten him to it, travelling to the area of his own volition to give classes under a tree.<\/p>\n

Natraj was struck by the head\u2019s dedication. He began to think about how one inspiring leader could make a difference. Studying schools across the country, Natraj discerned a pattern. \u201cThe 10-15% [school principals] at the bottom of the system were no good,\u201d he recalls. \u201cThe top 10-15% of principals were great leaders of great schools. The other 60% or so were going through the motions. If we could transfer the attributes of the top 10-15% to the 60%, could we raise the quality of India\u2019s state schools?\u201d<\/p>\n

Schools invariably appoint senior teachers to the post of principal. But the role demands a totally different skill set. \u201cThey have to build a team, engage the village, motivate the staff, create a positive atmosphere, and use resources well. Managing a school is like running a small business,\u201d says Natraj.<\/p>\n