Reekrit Serai, Director & Dean, Satluj Group of Schools, Panchkula, Chandigarh

Where would you place education on your national list of priorities?
At the top together with public health.

How best to upgrade government schools and colleges?
The key word is accountability. If accountability is demanded as in other countries, things will improve.

Thinker/philosopher you admire the most.
John Locke for his theory of associationism. Also Sir Ken Robinson, though I’m not sure whether he is a philosopher.

Your favourite Nobel laureate.
Rabindranath Tagore. I’ve read his works extensively and even visited Santiniketan.

Your leadership style.
I am a believer in transformational leadership. I’m always pushing people beyond their comfort zones as I genuinely believe that everyone has immense unexplored potential.

Your favourite book on education.
The Childhood of Jesus by J.M. Coetzee and How Children Fail by John Holt.

For or against the RTE Act’s 25 percent reservation for underprivileged children in private schools?
For, if the government lives up to its promises.

Should the education outlay be doubled by cutting defence expenditure?
No. There needs to be equilibrium.

How satisfied are you with the growth and development of Satluj Group of Schools?
I’ll never be satisfied. It would mean that we can’t grow further. We’re expanding like we haven’t in a long time.

Pessimistic or optimistic about the future of education in India?
Really optimistic. Not just about education, but about the future of India. That’s one of the major reasons why I returned to work here. India is the best place to be in the world right now.

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