“We are trying to bring all the boarding schools together, and the second step is to make partially boarding schools become members,” says Sapna Sukul, Founder of Edustart Solutions and COO of Boarding School Association of India (BSAI), in an interview with Pratik Ghosh, Content Writer, ArdorComm Media at the ‘New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023’ #ELSABengaluru #ELSAKarnataka How are you feeling to witness the New Normal Education Leadership Summit and Awards in Bengaluru? I have come just for this Summit. I flew down from Delhi for this, and I know ArdorComm founder, Chandan very well. The reason I came all the way for this is because of his hard work, dedication, and the way he thinks about how he wants education to be in the future. I wanted to contribute to this panel discussion where the founder of this Association is so much involved in bringing education and educationists together for the new normal. As you know, the theme of our event is New Normal Karnataka. What’s your take on this? When I came here, I knew that I’m going to a country of legends who are visionary and who know more than what we want to ask them. So, I was well prepared. I did my little research about what I’m going to ask and how I’m going to ask. It wasn’t a surprise because I was prepared, and all educationists here are well-versed with the system and the knowledge they are imparting to the students. It was a very good learning experience. I call myself a learner because wherever you go, you just learn a lot about people, demography of the place, and how the schools are doing. It was a wonderful experience. Could you share about EduStart Solutions and what you are providing? So, EduStart Solutions was formed during the pandemic, just before the pandemic. I am a master trainer with British Council and an ambassador with British Council. However, it took me a little further. I do audits of schools, I’m a trainer with schools, I’m a trainer with a few publishers, and I’m also an English examiner for various assessments and jury for many awards. As you can see in this kind of forums where we bring in education leaders, EdTech players, as well as the government, how does this kind of forum benefit the education sector? It bridges the gap between the government and the private sector because everybody works in their own silo. Government works the way they want, and so when such platforms exist, government dignitaries come, private schools come, and they share their common views on a platform where it is organized. It’s very important to bridge the gap by bringing leaders from both sides. In my new role with the Boarding Schools Association of India, I feel that we need government support because all boarding schools will require government initiatives. Any initiatives which you would like to highlight that you have taken in the Boarding School Association? We are trying to bring all the boarding schools together, and the second step is to make partially boarding schools become members. Once we become a big cohort run only by boarding school members, our association will have heritage schools, standalone schools, and the big schools of India, which have been running for 100 years or more. I’m sure the schools coming up with boarding will benefit a lot from these leaders who are leading such institutions. ArdorComm Media has completed two years of its existence. Any message or wishes for us? For me, ArdorComm Media is Ashish and Chandan. So, when Chandan started his journey with ArdorComm Media, I wished him then, and I wish him again for the second year. We can see the success of this event, and I’m sure it will go to the next level within a few years. I’m also happy that this is the only media that deals with mass media communication, so I wish them all the best.
