Acquiring knowledge, skills, values and attitude empowers individuals and transforms societies. For this purpose, Education serves as a powerful tool to drive an individual towards progress, navigating the complexities of life while making informed decisions. Prioritising and investing in education is investing in the future. One such academician and vital personality, breaking boundaries and expanding horizons with more than 28 years of experience in the field, Dr. Bindu Saini, currently holds the position of principal at S.B. Patil Public School, a CBSE affiliated, NABET accredited and British Council IDS certified school, under the Pimpri Chinchwad Education Trust in Ravet, Pune, Maharashtra.
An enthusiastic Dr. Bindu Saini, Principal shared “One must be fluid in thought and practice to adapt to the prevalent dynamism that exists in today’s world”. So to keep up with the NEP 2020, an evolutionary change to the educational system and practices, she has trained and held positions in various areas within the field of academics and its related administration. Her interest and passion for education has led her to pursue a Masters in Personnel Management, an MA and MPhil in English, a Diploma in Emotional Intelligence from Yale University, USA; a CAA; and has also been recently awarded with an Honorary PhD in Education. Also, she holds a Post Graduate Diploma in School Counselling, pursued especially to bridge gaps in the overall development of children during pandemic times.
With a strong vision in mind, she has researched and published papers on ‘Fracturing Familial Patriarchy: Understanding the Advocates and Obstacles to Domestic Role-Reversal’, ‘A Relative Study on English Language Teaching Around the World to Young Learners’, etc., and has also worked on over 15 papers with its publication in many journals. Aside from Education, she has delved in other aspects of the mainframe of academia and believes that no role is small. And so to know more we got in touch with Dr. Bindu Saini, Principal and interviewed her to have a deeper understanding of the processes and systems when it comes to nurturing young minds and training teachers.
Maintaining The Brand-value
“Being the principal of a school means overseeing the working of the school: academic and administrative, in its entirety whilst having a balanced combination of both quality and quantity”, shared Dr. Bindu Saini, Principal with delight. The school is NABET accredited from the QCI (Quality Council of India) and IDS certified from the prestigious British Council due to her training under the QCI as a qualified internal auditor for ISO, QMS and EMS whilst also conducting ISO audits as an external auditor and academic expert. The school has also recently applied for an international rating with QS I-Gauge. They are hosts to many inter school events at both regional and national levels for all activities, events and competitions. The school belongs to the PCET (Pimpri Chinchwad Education Trust) and has an in-house team to take care of such activities advertised on the school’s website and news magazine.
To stay ahead in the race, Dr. Bindu Saini thoughtfully adds, “Charity begins at home, so does one’s brand value”. Their school enhances its value with the continuous development of its faculty, always climbing the ladder by taking on training sessions, attending seminars and conferences, engaging in research, etc. With constant updation and improvisation of their policies, teaching patterns and methodologies, and encouraging practices that are of benefit to both student and faculty, the school under her guidance has attained value, both personally and professionally.
Ready For Change Anytime and Anywhere
Dr. Bindu Saini takes charge of building up a good learning environment, and nurtures and trains staff for curriculum execution and instructional leadership. She creates space and time for teachers focusing on an integrated curriculum, instructional and assessment policies, setting targets and pace of the school organisational change all whilst managing resources efficiently. Her sincere belief in the CBSE nomenclature of being a motivational pedagogical leader promotes the collaborative learning environment in her school, encouraging innovations in the teaching learning process, co-ordinating departments thereby raising the quality of education.
During the phases of the pandemic, the school and the faculty adapted the online mode of teaching. Counselling sessions and many physical activities along with online annual programs were organised with the culmination of efforts from all stakeholders including parents and students which led to its smooth functioning even after an unexpected hit that changed life and lifestyles. Dr. Bindu Saini, in connection to the pandemic shared “It has taught me readiness to adapt, to have patience in times of uncertainty, to be malleable enough to evolve in changing times, and above all, keep an open mind to all possibilities”. In continuation to our above conversation, she humbly claims that, “The digital encounter as an outcome of online/virtual interactions was an eye opener and made me a versatile human being and a super leader”.
Mantra For Ambitious Pursuits
Dr. Bindu Saini clarifies, “Nothing can ever replace talent, skill, ability and potential. But we live in a competitive world where there are 10,000 candidates for one post. Having the right education helps you stand out”. The right education surpasses one’s own potential and abilities helping realise the subject/disciplines practical application in real life. Her never-ending passion for studies has enhanced her abilities and skills to be a potential educator and a knowledgeable instructor and mentor to her students. Continuing our above discussion, she shared “I strongly believe one’s family plays an imperative and crucial role in not just the personal life but also in an individual’s professional life” and lays emphasis on the ceaseless influence and support her parents and teachers had offered and owes them for her career growth and success.
When we had a discussion about her mantra on how to effectively balance work and family, Dr. Bindu Saini prudently shared “At the end of the day, regardless of how professionally motivated one is, it is important NEVER to neglect one’s family”. She completely adopts the concept of giving due respect to all kinds of commitments along with complete guaranteed attention to whatever one does by learning to include people around at the same time are some of her family work balance mantras. Concluding, she proudly adds “It is said that behind every successful man, there is a woman; but behind every successful woman there is a family that trusts and supports her” and feels elated to have been blessed with such a strong support system, her family.
