Samik Ghosh, Principal, The Scindia School, Fort, Gwalior

Where would you place education on your national list of priorities?
The immediate need is for the nation to reduce hunger and malnutrition. Education at the moment will be second on my list but will rise to the top in future. 

How best to upgrade government schools?
The prime focus should be on recruitment and training of good teachers. While the initiative should come from the Union and state governments, NGOs, corporate sector, and reputed schools and institutions need to all step forward. 

Thinker/philosopher you admire the most.
Rabindranath Tagore and his philosophy of education. I also have deep admiration for Jyotiba Phule, Pandita Ramabai Ranade and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.

Your favourite Nobel laureate.
Rabindranath Tagore, of course. Also Albert Einstein, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Aung San Suu Kyi. 

Your leadership style.
First I identify two-three broad targets with students and staff and break them up into smaller targets with shared responsibility. For important decisions, I try to ensure there is a buy in from the people whom the policy affects.  

Your favourite book on leadership.
I derive great inspiration from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s letters to his daughter. They are an education on many fundamental aspects of true leadership. 

For or against the RTE Act mandating 25 percent reservation for underprivileged children in private schools?
I am in favour. If managed well it will be an educative experience for private school students and teachers. But the 25 percent reservation can solve only a minuscule part of the problem of quality education deficit for the poor. 

Also read: Why the RTE act should be scrapped

How satisfied are you with the growth and development of the Scindia School, Gwalior?
The school is on the right track and maintains a good balance between academics and experiential learning while being culturally rooted. But I am never — and cannot afford to be — satisfied. That would lead to stagnation.  

Pessimistic or optimistic about the future of Indian education? 
I am hugely optimistic. In every sphere there is enthusiasm to adopt change — fast in some, tardy in others. My real worry is the growth of non-liberal education in some pockets which is fuelling fundamentalism.