In today’s fast-paced and dynamic educational landscape, school principals play a crucial role in shaping the overall direction and success of a school. Principals are expected to be visionary leaders who provide strategic direction, foster a positive school culture, engage with stakeholders, and ensure academic excellence while prioritizing holistic student development. One such exemplary educational leader is Mogali Varalakshmi, the Principal of Jubilee Hills Public School in Hyderabad, India.
As the Principal of Jubilee Hills Public School, Mogali Varalakshmi exemplifies the qualities of a modern school leader. With her dynamic leadership, she oversees the administration, management, and educational programs of the school, striving to maintain high academic standards, promote co-curricular activities, and provide a nurturing and inclusive learning environment for students. Under her guidance, Jubilee Hills Public School has earned a reputation for its academic excellence and holistic development of students, making it a leading educational institution in Hyderabad.
Leading the Way, the Right Way
Mogali Varalakshmi’s leadership style encompasses a student-centric approach, focusing on the overall growth and well-being of students. She works closely with the school staff, parents, and the community to foster a collaborative and inclusive school culture that promotes student success. Her visionary leadership, passion for education, and commitment to excellence have been instrumental in driving the school towards its mission of providing quality education and shaping the leaders of tomorrow. Also, as the expectations from school principals continue to evolve in today’s time, educational leaders like Mogali Varalakshmi are playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of education and guiding students towards success.
In her personal life, she has a supportive and encouraging husband who has helped her become independent and confident. She is proud to have two daughters residing in the USA, and her family and friends have always been a source of strength for her. She is grateful to her mentor and guide, Chairman Sri A. Murali Mukund, and the School management, who are like family to her as a part of JHPS. It is their encouragement and support that has led her to achieve the prestigious President’s ‘National Best Teacher Award 2015’. Moreover, she holds a deep connection to Indian values, and her country fills her with pride.
Ms. M. Varalakshmi’s mantra is to uphold honesty, humility, compassion, and respect for everyone. She follows a structured routine to achieve her goals, being highly focused on her work. She plans her tasks ahead of time and executes them diligently, adhering to the timelines set. Ms. Varalakshmi welcomes suggestions and encourages new initiatives from her team at JHPS. She also maintains a practice of taking notes of her work, both positive and negative, and makes necessary corrections when needed.
And when we asked Ms. Varalakshmi about her thoughts on women empowerment, she shared – “Women empowerment is making progress, remarkable achievement is visible in different areas with numerous Government initiatives and focus on girl child. Equal opportunities and rights are being provided for both genders nowadays”. She continued – “In the Indian Scenario, though women have progressed far from the initial stages of their treatment, yet male domination exists at grassroot level which can’t be ignored. This mind-set can be changed over a period of time, by focussing on Education and achieving high literacy rate in our country”.
Contribution as the Principal
Jubilee Hills Public School aims towards providing sophisticated infrastructure to create a conducive learning environment for all students. In this pursuit, Ms. M. Varalakshmi motivates teachers to undergo various training sessions and workshops to equip them with different teaching styles that cater to the diverse learning abilities of students. As the Principal of Jubilee Hills Public School, Ms. Varalakshmi ensures that teachers are well-supported with continuous professional development opportunities. She emphasizes the importance of updating teachers’ knowledge and skills in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, through regular training in core and general areas. With the support of the school management, Ms. Varalakshmi ensures that teachers have access to CBSE trainings, in-service trainings with guest faculty, and in-house educational trainings conducted by resource persons. She also ensures that teachers are upgraded with relevant training sessions on the latest technological advancements introduced in the school. Additionally, Ms. Varalakshmi prioritizes the health and well-being of the entire staff by organizing annual health check-ups to manage health care and create awareness about preventive measures for future health-related issues.
At the Pre-Primary and Primary levels Ms. Varalakshmi ensures that the school organizes “Pratibhadarshan” – The Parent Day, which showcases the talents of students and fosters the importance of interaction, teamwork, confidence, communication skills, personality development, and overcoming stage fear in young minds. Furthermore, students are provided training for various sports activities based on their individual interests, health, physical attributes, and temperament.
Achievements under Ms. M. Varalakshmi ’s Leadership
Ms. Varalakshmi proudly announces that their school has been selected by CBSE for implementing AI classes. Under her leadership, an ATL (Atal Tinkering Lab) has been set up in collaboration with Niti Aayog, Government of India, with the aim of promoting innovative projects. The school has also established Robotics and 3D labs, which provide students with advanced virtual reality technology to visualize, interact, and learn.
Emphasizing the school’s motto of “Tradition with Technology,” Ms. Varalakshmi mentions that the smart boards in all classrooms have been replaced with the latest smart big screen TVs. The school’s Audio-Visual Studio is also intended to enhance audio-visual learning, allowing the recording of performances based on the syllabus and important school events, with video editing facilities for comprehensive program creation.
Ms. Varalakshmi further highlights that the school has established the Jubilee Hills Skill Development Centre, aimed at structuring teacher development programs to meet the changing needs of modern education. The S.T.E.P (Strategic Teacher Empowerment Programme) has been initiated to guide and train teachers, providing opportunities for self-learning and empowering them with creative and critical thinking abilities. The school also regularly invites Expert Resource Persons to conduct workshops and training sessions for teachers to further enhance their professional skills.
Ms. Varalakshmi proudly acknowledges the achievements of the school’s students. Master Ritesh Maddukuri represented India and won the Gold medal in the Junior category of the Chess International Tournament. Many students have also won accolades in various sports activities at the CBSE National level. Additionally, Master Hemant Krishna has been selected as the Best NCC Cadet in the 2T Battalion in Hyderabad, Telangana, reflecting the school’s commitment to holistic development.
