Long before policy documents spoke of inclusion and access, Indian women educators were already living these ideals. Savitribai Phule, India’s first woman teacher, walked to school amid social hostility so that girls could learn to read, write and think. Her work was not merely about literacy; it was about dignity and resistance. Fatima Sheikh, her lesser-known but equally courageous collaborator, opened her home as the first school for girls, reminding us that educational re

Awareness and understanding of autism has grown in international and alternative schools where neurodivergence is recognized in 10 - 15% of students. While a smaller class size allows for quicker identification of learning, behavioural or socio-emotional needs, traditional schools and smaller towns often lag behind. The challenge in most schools lies in the gap between identification and actionable support. Without specialized training and resources, educators remain ill-equi

Every classroom has quiet moments when a simple word, a patient pause, or a steady presence can make all the difference. These are the times educators “hold space” for students—offering not just instruction but emotional safety. Holding space means building an environment where learners feel seen, heard, and valued, so they can navigate academic and personal challenges with confidence.  Resilience over Dependency  When a teacher holds space, they step beyond lesson plans and

Across India, museums have long been places of preservation. Carefully lit artefacts sit behind glass. Labels tell us what they are, where they came from, and why they matter. We walk through them respectfully, quietly absorbing information. In both museums and schools, conversations about heritage often revolve around monuments, timelines, and preservation. Students learn about historical sites through textbooks, photographs, or the occasional field visit. Yet through the wo

Biologically, nature has made the females of nearly all species stronger than males. The male may be physically strong & muscular but the female has the tenacity of spirit and a great factor of resilience. At the same time, child-bearing and child-rearing has limited the ability to spread wings and test her own potential into the vast space of land or sky. Confined to home & hearth, she limited her own potential, for she was made to believe that she was less of a mortal.  Anc

During my three decades in education, I have attended and facilitated numerous professional development sessions. After my first decade as a teacher, I pursued three formal postgraduate diplomas and degrees to deepen and broaden my learning. Yet over time, one realises that the most powerful professional learning does not always happen in formal programmes. It happens in classrooms, in corridors, in conversations with colleagues, during feedback sessions with experienced prac

When I was twelve, after an argument with my mother, I made a dramatic declaration that I could no longer tolerate her autocratic ways. “I’m done. I’m leaving!” Without even looking up from her chores, she replied calmly,  “The door and the gate are open.” I marched out, convinced she would soon rush behind me with panic, persuasion, or perhaps even tears. Nothing happened. I peeped through the door. She was still busy. “I’m leaving!” I shouted again. “You’re still there?” sh

A life shaped by purpose, guided by values, and defined by service, renowned educationist Dr. Abraham Ebenezer’s leadership reflects a rare commitment to people, integrity, and transformative education. Mentor Magazine chronicles his unparalleled legacy, anchored in curiosity, kindness and purpose. In Pursuit of Purpose My early years in the government system were formative, offering me a wide canvas - an opportunity to understand administration at a systemic level, to engage

For over two decades, education technology has promised to transform classrooms. But after the excitement of the pandemic years, schools are beginning to ask a more fundamental question: is technology actually improving learning, or simply adding another layer of complexity? Ed-tech has travelled an interesting journey over the last twenty years. From being an experimental idea to becoming a pandemic necessity, it has now entered a more mature phase. The excitement is settlin

As children, many of us grew up with small rituals that quietly trained our patience. Every Sunday afternoon, we sat down to fill a page of cursive writing. It was rarely voluntary. A parent hovered nearby, ensuring that every r  looped neatly and every i  carried its proper dot. Until the page was completed to satisfaction, we were not allowed anywhere near the only screen that mattered in the house, the television. We wrote with pencils for years before graduating to ink pe

Modern internationalism in education goes beyond curricula, affiliations, and alliances; it embraces a philosophy of global thinking.   Schools are construed as epistemic communities wherein inquiry and co-problem-solving promote major competencies for the 21st century.  Learning should be grounded in context and themes, connecting international developments with local realities. Identity and culture, in this view, are not universal forces that erase differences, but deeply r

Miscommunication remains a critical barrier to effective policy implementation. When policy language does not match local context or the implementer’s understanding, it creates confusion. For example, a school in Morbi may face challenges very different from those in Ahmedabad or Surat, yet policy frameworks often fail to reflect these differences. A top-down approach further widens the gap, as policies designed by high-level dignitaries may lack connection with ground-level

While technology as an industry has historically been male-dominated, education has long benefited from strong female participation, particularly in teaching, mentoring, and student engagement. What is changing today is not simply access to technology, but the nature of influence. Women educators have consistently operated in environments marked by reform, accreditation pressures, digital transitions, and evolving learner expectations. This sustained exposure to change has cu

A 22-year-old can launch a start-up from their study room, manage millions in funding, and make it to Forbes' 30 list. A 25-year-old can inherit the family business and immediately start calling the shots as CEO. But suggest that a 35-year-old educator with over a decade of classroom experience could lead a school, and suddenly everyone looks shocked. "But do they have the qualities to be a school leader?" they ask. I recently scrolled through job postings for principal posit

For decades, Indian schooling has been framed by a narrow definition of success, percentages, ranks, and board outcomes. While academic achievement matters, the world our learners are entering demands much more: communication, critical and creative thinking, ethical judgment, resilience, collaboration, and a deep sense of identity and purpose. The challenge before school leaders and educators is to shift from performance-driven to purpose-driven education without losing accou

You may try to douse a fire by cutting off its oxygen, but beneath the ashes lie embers, still alive, still capable of igniting a spark. It is this spark that has created revolutionaries, long before the idea of a woman at the forefront of any field was even imagined. This Women’s Day, we look back at trailblazers in education who did not merely resist limitations, but reshaped the very meaning of learning, leadership, and access. Mary McLeod Bethune   Education has never bee

Leadership in education is not a position of power but a shared ethical commitment. It lives in those who open doors, challenge injustice, nurture dignity, and create spaces where learning becomes liberation. A feminist educational leader does not measure success only by results or rankings; she measures it by the freedom, confidence, and voice her learners carry into the world, said Martha Nussbaum She highlights education’s role in building humane societies. Leadership shou

Education has always been the most powerful instrument of social change, and women have been at its very heart, both as learners and as educators. The story of women in education is not merely about access to schools or classrooms; it is about empowerment, equality, leadership, and the transformation of societies. When women are educated, families prosper, communities grow stronger, and nations move forward. Thus, women in education are not only beneficiaries of progress but

For decades, we have defined success in education the same way we define it in business, through speed, scale, visibility and upward mobility. The faster you grow, the larger the institution you lead, the more visible your title, the more successful you are assumed to be. It is a linear model, it seems incomplete.   In my own journey of building institutions, leading teams, and working closely with schools across India and beyond, most of my strongest collaborators have been

In this deeply reflective cover story, Dr. Manila Carvalho shares a journey shaped by empathy, resilience, and purpose. Moving beyond scores and systems, she makes a compelling case for educating the whole child—where mental wellbeing, compassionate leadership, and humane learning environments define true educational success.  A Fortuitous Beginning  My journey as an educator began in 1990 when my statistics professor asked me to teach statistics during his sick leave. At tha

Education is often imagined as a neat package of textbooks, lesson plans, and examinations. Parents and policymakers alike tend to measure its success in grades, certificates, and visible achievements. Yet, beneath this surface lies a deeper, more enduring influence: the silent forces that shape who children become. Subtle and often invisible, these forces quietly guide a child’s destiny. What our naked eyes see of a child is only the tip of an iceberg. The shining tip is the

People often ask if technology will make schools obsolete. Despite what the tech universe may have told us, one can say that it’s not happening any time soon. The contextual basis for this opinion is quite simple: It hasn't happened yet. When radio became ubiquitous, smart people thought it would make schools obsolete. It didn’t. Neither did slide projectors, VCRs, educational TV, PCs, the Internet, or iPads, despite similar ambitions. Of course, this time it is different, sa

The birth of Large Language Models (LLMs) and machine learning did not arrive with a dramatic announcement in our daily lives. They entered quietly through smart suggestions, auto-complete, chatbots, and tools that promised to make our work faster and easier. Over time, these systems found their way into our emails, documents, presentations, and eventually, our classrooms. What began as convenience soon became dependence. The Emergence Many people who once struggled to compos

“We live in a new world where education, neuro science and classroom instruction are joined.”( Dr Stephen Rushton 2012, Exchange). Hence, it is important to design learning spaces to help education become truly the development of the mind, body, and soul. It is important to break the monotonous image of traditional schools and bring in a more contemporary and scientific image of an educational environment. It is time to fold away the ‘box’ that we call classrooms and unfold a