Leadership in today’s world is all about having the ability to influence, motivate, change the attitude and behavior of the subordinates, to motivate them to agree to the implementation, thereby, achieving the needed result. Also, leadership has become a key component of an organization, management, and administration of educational organizations and systems, and this development is reflected in both the academic and educational development of institutions. Moreover, considering the aspect of woman leaders always having an upper hand as educational figures, women indeed introduced unique styles of leadership, thus motivating societal upliftment and in turn, bettering many livelihoods. Thereby, talking about one such exemplary educationalist cum leader, who has single-handedly spearheaded Maria’s Public School as the founder and Managing Trustee – Mrs. Nellie Ahmed Tanweer, is that personality who involves herself rigorously in enabling a free atmosphere of creativity and fun, all thanks to her tremendous zeal and energy towards creating better tomorrows.
Having founded the school in the year 1988, and considering the then educational landscape, Mrs. Nellie always believed in ‘beyond the classroom’ teaching-learning and still continues to do so, even though the school has grown manifold from being just a Montessori setup to a senior secondary school today. Also, bringing in all the required amenities to support the school, in turn, giving a strong foundation for young learners to flourish in all walks of life, Mrs. Nellie’s hard work and dedication has resulted in her serving 2000+ children, catering to their needs and demands, and their educational needs.
Operating as a firm administrator, a strict disciplinarian, a grand matriarch, and at the same time a compassionate caregiver, she along with the whole management of Maria’s School, welcome and adapt to the new changes and norms, trying their best to kindle ‘thinking ability’ in the students of the school. Furthermore, being the prime facilitator of maintaining the educational quality year after year, Mrs. Nellie not only excels as an expert captain of the team called Maria’s High School but also, gives back to society through Community Outreach Programs, aimed towards helping children from underprivileged & marginalized sections of society.
Empowering young minds
Over 30 years of an eventful and rewarding journey at Maria’s Public School, the pandemic came as a sudden shock and brought on great challenges onboard. But in no time the whole management took the situation in a stride, facilitating smooth transitions with the current resources available on campus. Additionally, with the help of strong support from Mrs. Nellie, the whole campus was shifted online conveniently, and thus began the phase of online learning and teaching. Also, considering the aspect of uncertainty around, and the fact that parents were hesitant to handover gadgets to their young ones, Mrs. Nellie along with her team motivated parents to become well-equipped for tomorrow via virtual PTMs and conversations. “It was indeed a hard task to keep pace with the ever-changing situations and to keep our workforce motivated and safe at this time of uncertainty, we are fortunate to receive positive responses from all quarters”, stated – Mrs. Nellie, telling us how important all the stakeholders are in times of turmoil and need. Personally, having learned a lot from the ongoing pandemic, Mrs. Nellie added – “I have renewed my principle of keeping a plan B ready for every situation”.
A complete people’s person, for her – the close-knit near and dear ones and her extended family of Maria’s Public School is the reason for the success-filled life she has led so far. Emphasizing the importance of being brave, decisive, and independent, Mrs. Nellie states that walking alone at times helps individual growth and development, and helps you grow as a holistic personality. Additionally, having come from an affluent family of liberal thoughts, education and love for literature came automatically to her, along with seeds of civility, tolerance, and spirituality. She added on this very topic, by saying – “It was my late mother Sofia Zaman who motivated me to take up Montessori training, and now I do have a very supportive immediate family”
All in all, an example individual to all the budding entrepreneurs and educationalists of our country, and as a living example of her excellence in the field of educating and running successful businesses, she has been awarded many titles and laurels across her educational career, namely – The Stree Udhyami Award, NEDFi Award, Leaders Award 2018 and so on. Lastly, letting the world know through her work that each child is the representative of a family who takes back all the values inculcated in a school, Mrs. Nellie and her whole team of trained professionals are working day in and day out towards creating a community of social regard and responsibility, who always have education and awareness being the backbone to their pursuit of growth excellence.
