E.K. SHAJI
E.K. Shaji, co-founder member of Jodo Gyan, has conducted several workshops on Math, EVS curriculum design as well as on school mathematics policy for principals, parents, teachers, and teacher-educators across the country. Shaji has been working relentlessly towards reform in math learning and teaching in diverse classrooms. Jodo Gyan is an organisation working to find workable solutions to the problems in classroom practices. Since 1998, the team led by Shaji and Dr. Usha Menon have been working to introduce innovative methods through which children will understand and enjoy what they are being taught. At HXLS, Jodo Gyan is helping develop and re-structure the math programme in the primary school, based on Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) which was originally developed at the Freudenthal Institute in the Netherlands.
Dr. LINDA NATHAN
Dr. Linda, Ed.D., is the first Executive Director of the Center for Artistry and Scholarship in the US, an Adjunct Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and serves on numerous non-profit boards both locally and nationally. As an experienced leader in education, she actively mentors teachers and principals, and consults nationally and internationally on issues of educational reform, leadership and teaching with a commitment to equity, and the critical role of arts and creativity in schools. She also facilitates workshops and conversations about issues of race, equity, and culturally relevant pedagogy for school leaders, teachers, parents, and students across the nation.
MANIT JAIN
In the capacity of an advisor on strategic issues including infrastructure development, talent attraction, curriculum design, teacher capability development, and standard operational procedures, Manit has been actively involved with The Heritage Schools.
He has personally championed and led several change initiatives to transform the school into an experiential learning school.
With a vision to bring about purposeful curriculum to Indian education scenario, Manit has played an instrumental role in establishing Heritage International Xperiential School with the vision to provide children with deeper and authentic learning. He believes that education should be child-centric that enhances a child’s skills, opens up their minds and, fosters an ethical relationship to work. With an outlook to prepare children for the 21st century world with relevant skill set, Manit aspires for HIXS to change the hearts and minds of people towards the purpose of education.
Dr. NATASHA MEHTA
Head of Academic Research & Education, Lighthouse Learning
Dr Natasha Mehta comes with an experience of 3 decades in the pre-K12 education sector. Her experience ranges across the spectrum of the learning ecosystem, as a science educator, Head of schools, and curriculum and instructional leader. She has authored about 52 books in Science for the national and international Boards with Pearson and Marshall Cavendish Education, Singapore.
Her immediate past experience was as the Head of Academics for India at the Aga Khan Education Service where as a member of the senior leadership team, she provided programmatic and instructional leadership to improve the quality of teaching and learning to raise the profile and performance of the network schools.
She has a Masters in Zoology and PhD in Education Psychology. She believes that this is a great time to be in school education, with an abundance of new thoughts, the freedom to innovate and education truly opening its borders.
PRAJODH RAJAN
Co-Founder and Group CEO- Lighthouse Learning
Prajodh conceptualized and started EuroKids International in 2001 and has been the driving force behind its growth from 2 pre-schools in 2001 to 1200 pre-schools currently.
He enjoys an enviable reputation in the industry, for his pioneering efforts in early childhood education in the country, besides creating a fertile ecosystem for education entrepreneurship.
He is a proud recipient of the ‘Special Recognition for Contribution to Franchising’ by Indian Franchise Association, Education Leadership Award 2016.
He has also been named as one of the ‘50 Leaders changing Indian Education’ by a leading Education Magazine.
DR. TAPASWINI SAHU
Academic Director
Tapaswini has been involved with several school reform projects focusing on curriculum planning and implementation, professional development of teachers, assessment and evaluation of children and led the project for developing the “National Education Framework” for Bhutan. Tapaswini has a Doctorate in Educational Psychology from Jawaharlal Nehru University and an M.Phil in Education from Cambridge University.
VISHNU KARTHIK
Director, The Heritage Schools
Vishnu has over 15 years of experience in leadership development, school leadership and school administration. An alumnus of Harvard University, he is responsible for new school initiatives and strategic projects for the group including curriculum development, instructional leadership, continuous school improvement, technology integration and leadership development. In his prior roles, he has been the head of the Senior School, grade IX economics teacher and a trekking instructor. A proponent of experiential learning, he has visited over 50 experiential and deeper learning schools worldwide. Among his other administrative responsibilities, he is keenly interested in building instructional leadership capabilities, cognitive neuroscience, education technology, college readiness and placements, student leadership development, adolescent coaching, authentic assessments and deeper learning curriculum. He has also been a management consultant and worked with organisations like Accenture and Right Management in the areas of leadership development, organisation change management and learning design. He has delivered projects in India, USA, South East Asia and Europe. In 2009, he co-authored (along with Swami Mitrananda) Se(a)king – a travelogue on a 14-day sojourn across the Arabian sea on a cargo ship. He is a practitioner of Yoga and Vedanta and believes that his work is a medium to reach his deeper self. He is also a proud father of a daughter who has Down syndrome. You can read Vishnu’s blog on https://medium.com/@vishnukarthik
*Member names are arranged in alphabetical order