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“Preschools have to be taken seriously, preschool educators have to be taken seriously so I think that would play very important role for us now,” says Sneha Rathor, CEO, Sanfort Group of Schools in an interview with Chandan Anand, CEO & Group Editor, ArdorComm Media Group at the ‘ArdorComm New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2022’ #ELSAJaipur #ELSARajasthan Would like to understand from you the energy mantra of yours, the way you have been taking the journey of Sanfort Group of Schools to a certain level, what motivates you? I think not only me that goes for all the educators. I think the biggest strength that we have is our children that we see and all the energy is being derived from them. We spend most of our time thinking about the kids in our schools or spending time with them so they give a lot of energy to us because whenever we see what is it that we want to do for them as educators and how we really want to change things for them so that they have a better education and they turn out to be a global leader with more information and a lot of innovation in their minds. So, I think that’s the greatest form of motivation for all of us to go ahead in education. I have seen the journey of your group specially the way you have transformed from the preschool to schools, how do you guide the people who actually look to venture into preschools especially post covid? I think education right now is a wonderful space to come in specially post covid because during covid greatly there has been a shutdown in preschools and because of which there’s a lot of vacuum that has been created and the number of births that have happened during the pandemic has also been great so a lot of children are coming and the number of schools that we have right now, the number of preschools that we have right now to cater to the needs of those children is less so it’s a huge vacuum a huge opportunity for people to come in and venture into. But, it has to be on a professional level so earlier pre-covid that we used to see there was a little gap in the terms of what kind of pre-schooling that should be there in our country. In a country as huge as India with a massive population of young children so what we need to see is whoever is venturing into preschool has to be somebody who’s very professional, somebody who actually understands that why preschools are required in our society and what is the importance of it and how really pre-schooling should happen so it shouldn’t be just like our next door place where the children go they play and learn some rhymes. It has to be taken seriously and I think it will now be taken seriously because NEP has come into place so it becomes more of a serious education rather than just a neighbourhood preschool concept. How would you execute NEP in your schools and what are the benefits which you see in near future which NEP will definitely bring in overall preschool education? We’ve been discussing it for a really long time for all the old players in preschool industry. So, I think when we talk about NEP and after reading NEP most of the leading preschools in India or good preschools in India they had been following it for years now, so for us it has been nothing new in terms of incorporating it. But I think it gives a huge sense of importance to us now that the NEP has come into play so earlier it was taken as an option that okay fine like you can send your child to the school but now NEP coming into place it gives us importance that this is a formal education also, it has to be taken seriously. Preschools have to be taken seriously, preschool educators have to be taken seriously so I think that would play very important role for us now. So, teaching techniques we’ve been following it for a long time but making it formal is what brings a huge change for us. What are the values or the mission of Sanfort Group of Schools? I think it’s very important as I said that India is a huge country and with such massive young minds that we need to nurture. So, I think what we look at is giving quality education to more and more children to be accessible to all kind of children. It should not be restricted to a particular society it should be accessible to everybody because its important, early years are very important and that’s how we need to look at it. We all have gathered at New Normal Education Leadership Summit and Awards, what does the word new normal for you stands? I think new normal has a different meaning to us now because when it was covid the New Normal was that oh now the schools are not open everything is shut and we need to sit at our homes, it would be even two years old children learning through screens and all of that was the new normal. But post pandemic era the New Normal is that, oh the world is open now and that we feel so happy that now the children are coming back to school you could see people roaming around freely and then the new normal is that we’re now respecting that what freedom is and how important it is because in those two years the sense we were lacking that, oh we never knew that this freedom could ever be taken from us. Yes, so I think pandemic really made us realize how could we be restricted from going out of our homes towards offices or something like that meeting our own relatives our

“The main thing is learning but with which perspectives it is on to you,” says Neetu Sharma, Founder and Principal, Million Miracle Pre-School, Jaipur in an interview with Chandan Anand, CEO & Group Editor, ArdorComm Media Group at the ‘ArdorComm New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2022’ #ELSAJaipur #ELSARajasthan What has been the learning from your session and the time which you have spent at the event today? The event was very interactive and it was a great learning from all the learned peoples we were sharing the stage. We were getting upgraded mentally and by spiritual learning which really a person needs at this time. Being a pre-school teacher what I really feel if you are having an energy of a 150 percent then we can deliver the hundred percent to the children because children are the most energetic persons, to engage those brain in a very positive manner we have to see how we can upgrade them on ourselves, first ourselves in a better way by learning what is newer to get upgraded with them to their levels. Children don’t have a lot of patience they are very quick learners and for them regular reinforcement is very much important so whatever we are teaching is that a life skill or it is a social thing we are teaching them or anything which is from mythological things or educational. Our students have to be self-driven they should not be dependent on anyone they should know what is right, what is wrong. They should know how to use the things wisely. So, I have learned these all things lot from here we were like the children with the experienced peoples so let’s see how we can apply them and next time whenever we meet I can assure you with some more good betterments in ourselves even and thank you for such a good platform you have given to us. What has inspired you to become an owner of your own brand? When we were working with the other brand also, they were the first gurus, I have learned a lot of things from them but when you work we can’t find that if this thing would have been to this level it would have been easier because practically doing and having in the books is entirely different. So, when we come on the grounds we find that there are some limitations to it just work with that free zone and then I find if the children at this age get that plight of knowledge at a full side, full learning they will of course bloom like anything. So, to working with them with a free side that without the foundation that we have to cover this, that you have to do this way only no I don’t think learning has a particular pattern learning is something which every person learns in a different way. If I say do this, means a child can take it in any way in whichever mode or state he is. It is not that he is listening if I say write ‘A’ he will take my instruction, but in my school the child can write in the air also he can write in the copy, some children will like to write on wall so this is the free liberty side what we are giving to the child that they should learn how to write. The main thing is learning but with which perspectives it is on to you. I say best teacher is the one who doesn’t teach how she knows it is the one who dealt herself according to the child how she is making interesting one for the children. We have been managing really hard to execute this event and we have been doing this from last one and a half years recently we celebrated our first anniversary any message or any advice would you like to give to ArdorComm Media? I should say ArdorComm Media is doing a good job they are getting so many big peoples at a single platform. I can understand from my level being an entrepreneur it becomes very difficult to cope up with so many people with their busy schedules and of course you are doing great work, giving us this platform especially the teachers and educators who are actually the foundation layers and if we are on the same stage and we are able to connect with the things over the higher educations it will become something else only, so thanks goes to the ArdorComm Media who is giving such a good platform to us.  

“We need to skill our teachers as well because they are coming from the 80s and then we are going to teach in the 21st century children and that’s a huge gap in between,” says Hema Harchandani, Founder & Managing Director, Canvas International Group in an interview with Chandan Anand, CEO & Group Editor, ArdorComm Media Group at the ‘ArdorComm New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2022’ #ELSAJaipur #ELSARajasthan What is the message you would like to give specially to the people who are already running schools and those who are eying to be one of the owners of the school? I think two things are the major agenda which I also speak about, one is the parent partnership program which has to be very dignified way and then every school has to design in a such a process because we are focusing on the new skill-based program most of the time. So, the parents should also be aware of that what are the skills we have and what we are going to teach our children that’s one major fundamental thing because then only the collaboration work together, as a school as an educator as a parent. Another part I always emphasis on is the training process, the training process has to be the school side in a very high side because the way today the recruitment is happening we need to skill our teachers as well because they are coming from the 80s and then we are going to teach in the 21 century children and that’s a huge gap in between. So, first we have to skill ourselves and then only those strategies have to be put on. Earlier we used to talk about teacher training program now is it like teacher training and skilling program? Yes, it’s more into a skill-based program, I think the teachers who are already coming from they know how to teach the subjects but they need to enhance their levels because the children have skill set better than the teachers so they should think out of the box. This is not a classroom sitting kind of thing there has to be life experience even in the science, math any language we are talking about those things has to be in an experienced way that’s what we have to talk about. Would you like to share any experience as a live example of your own school? I always remember one thing is when you take them outside from your school campus most of the things whenever we the teachers are doing inside the campus they are okay with that. Take them out take that risk along with you, yes definitely there is a risk involved but I think beyond the campus if you take the children then you see the ‘wow’ thing is happening with the children so think about those strategies, think about the openness don’t focus on the numbers, numbers will come automatically. We all have united here for the New Normal Education Leadership Summit and Awards, what does the word new normal stands for you? I think new normal is adjusted now, we all are adjusted after covid in the new normal. I think new normal for me has done wonders personally as well as professionally. One thing I’ve learned from after covid is patience. Whatever you do things will happen their own way. So, I think that one message I really wanted to give is be calm, be patient things are going to happen as per your plan don’t be impatient and rude for the anybody else so that’s what it is. When we gather in a program like this where all the stakeholders from the same fraternity like academia, industry and government are present, what should be an outcome of certain forums? School and education is a community business we need to understand, it’s not be, okay the government only going to do that or as a owner I’m going to change it or as a parent I have to, every stakeholder has to come on the forum and then talk about. At the end of the day we have to focus on what are the end results so suppose today we are talking here so many concepts, so many things. I think everybody has to take it forward in their school the strategies we gather here, we discuss. If I am doing something different and somebody else is doing we should start, this has to be exchanging program instead of okay no I am doing this, I am very rigid on my strategy which should not be. So, in any conference we are going be ready for the openness be ready for the learning thing and be ready for taking it forward. I’m glad to share that we’ve recently celebrated our one year of existence, any message would you like to pass on to ArdorComm Media? I think Chandan and the team is doing excellent work and I know him for last couple of years now and I am sure you are doing such a great work and keep doing it.  

“Learning has to be orchestrated where the child experiences learning because you can’t teach a child he has to learn,” says Geetika Bahuguna, COO (Services), Millennium Education Group in an interview with Chandan Anand, CEO & Group Editor, ArdorComm Media Group at the ‘ArdorComm New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2022’ #ELSAJaipur #ELSARajasthan As you have moderated a very well defined and an informal segment which is now formerly coming under the umbrella of NEP as well, what has been your experience two years before and now? I think there has been a lot of change in the mindset of people and also the confidence level that you can embrace technology because they have seen it happening during the pandemic now it’s only about how do you leverage it better, how do you actually harness the potential of technology. If I talk about the pre-primary segment that has been untouched so we haven’t literally leveraged it in a physical school so now it’s about taking it out from the virtual mode and bringing it into the physical school and creating maybe a hybrid or an integrated model where technology becomes a very innate and a critical component of the entire pedagogical cycle. Preschool segment has been considered as a very experiential and a lot of hygiene should be maintained over the years, people are very sensitive in selecting a brand or a school, how are you taking your brand in that way? See, we are a very child safety focused organization so our processes are very well defined. We have all the structures and processes because you can’t actually run a chain if you don’t have that and there are continuous regular audits and so whatever is being done in this robust training which happens and closed monitoring of the schools. So, everything is catered for and taken care of. If anybody is opting for a franchisee of a Preschool what should be kept in mind like top key pointers for selecting a brand? It is about who’s running, what is the credibility of the organization, what is their pedagogy, what is their approach and what is their connect with the parents. Its credibility would be based on the experience of the parents or whatever anecdotal evidences are there plus the pedagogy would define how the child is actually being exposed to learning because that is very critical like what we had been hearing that it has to be social emotional experiential all that. How do you place immersive learning in the Preschool segment? It is all immersive you cannot have learning which is not immersive, the child has to be immersed in learning and the learning has to be orchestrated where the child experiences learning because you can’t teach a child he has to learn. So, it is very constructivist at that particular stage also child will learn if he is interested, he is curious, he’s engaged so that process of making, ensuring these three conditions are met is through immersive learning, so it cannot be any other way. From an educator point of view, what should be the criteria of selecting a teacher for Preschool? Teacher is a passion her connect in fact we were also figuring out with our HR in case we could actually, figure out what is the EQ component because it is all energy. See, content comes later what you require is a true love, care, passion and the Zeal to keep learning. We have all gathered at “New Normal Education Leadership Summit and Awards”, what does the word New Normal for you stands? New Normal is one is the traditional definition because we’ve gone through the VUCA period so this is like practically a new normal otherwise also I think what somebody said that every day is a new normal we are evolving at a very fast pace so I think it will continue, it is going to be the only constant. Recently we have celebrated our one year of existence and it’s been the first anniversary of ArdorComm Media, any message and good wishes you want to share with us? All the best and congratulations. I was there at the last time also and I’ve seen that passion, energy and the commitment in the team and you’ve been able to gather all the thought leaders. Please continue doing this because these are forums which give each other that confidence and the moral support because this education community has to move together and there has to be partnership.