Sanjay Ghodawat, Chairman, Sanjay Ghodawat Group of Institutions

Are you satisfied with the importance given to education on the national development agenda?
Our national development agenda neglects education to a great extent. No Indian university features among the world’s top 200 universities in the rankings of QS or THE.

How best to upgrade government colleges?
It’s high time to encourage private players in the education system. Once there is a healthy competitive spirit, the overall education scenario in our country will change for the better. The percentage of GDP spent on education in India is only 3.1. It needs to be sharply increased.

Thinker/philosopher you admire most.
Swami Vivekananda.

Your favorite Nobel laureate.
Rabindranath Tagore, the Bengali poet and polymath. His influence still lives on in his poetry and songs, including our national anthem.

Your leadership style.
I believe in identifying leaders at every level and giving them responsibilities which bring out their leadership qualities. 
Your favourite book on education.
Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People — a masterpiece.

For or against the Right to Education Act’s 25 percent reservation for underprivileged children in private schools?
I am of the opinion that every child in the country should get free and fair education. RTE is a well-intentioned legislation to upgrade elementary education.

Should the education outlay be doubled by cutting defence expenditure?
Education is a fundamental right and so is national security. Both are necessary for the country’s stability and development.

How satisfied are you with the progress of Sanjay Ghodawat Group of Institutions?
We started providing engineering and business management education in 2009. Today, we have more than 4,000 students studying with world class infrastructure and facilities. We have ISO 9001:2008 certification and our SGI International School was ranked third in Maharashtra among CBSE schools last year. I am happy we have achieved all this in a short time.

Pessimistic or optimistic about Indian education?
Optimism is necessary for an entrepreneur. Despite some misgivings, I am hopeful about the future of Indian education.

Also read: 50 Leaders who can revive Indian education – Sanjay Ghodawat