GULAB RAMCHANDANI
First corporate emigre into K-12 education and former headmaster of The Doon School, Dehradun
Where would you place education on your national list of priorities?
Totally at the top.
How best to upgrade government schools?
Provide separate toilets for boys and girls in every school; thoroughly vet and train teachers; and make a master list of minimum infrastructure, furniture, lighting etc for every school.
Thinker/philosopher you admire the most.
Mahatma Gandhi.
Your favourite educationists.
Kurt Hahn & John Dewey.
Your leadership style.
Lead by performance mixed with compassion.
Your favourite book on leadership.
Still exploring.
For or against the RTE Act mandating 25 percent reservation for underprivileged children in private schools?
Certainly for in principle. But clarity about implementation is required.
Should education outlay be doubled by cutting defence expenditure?
Education should become the biggest defence of the nation.
How satisfied are you with the growth and development of K-12 education in India?
Quite despondent.
Pessimistic or optimistic about the future of Indian education?
Optimistic. But only if we train teacher trainers. And we must absorb the reality that every child is a customer who must be satisfied.