Rohan Bhat, Chairman, Children’s Academy Group of Schools, Mumbai

Where would you place education on your national list of priorities?
Foremost. The progress of a nation can’t be swifter than its progress in education.

How best to upgrade government schools?
Government schools across India suffer from lack of accountability. The best option to improve them is through public-private partnerships.

Thinker/philosopher you admire the most.
In Jawaharlal Nehru’s Discovery of India, Chanakya has been described as the Indian Machiavelli. I wholly agree.

Your favourite Nobel laureate.
Rabindranath Tagore, composer of our national anthem jana gana mana which inspired millions of Indians to fight for independence.

Your leadership style.
I focus on achieving goals, improving organisational productivity and ensuring tasks are completed on time with the cooperation of employees.

Your favourite book on education.
The Promise of a Pencil (2014). It narrates the story of Adam Braun, a young man who started with $25 and built more than 200 schools worldwide.

For or against the RTE Act’s 25 percent reservation for underprivileged children in private schools?
For, but with an essential modification. The government must reimburse the actual per student expenditure incurred by private schools.

Should the education outlay be doubled by cutting defence expenditure?
We undoubtedly need to increase public expenditure on education. How to raise the resources is best left to the government of the day.

How satisfied are you with the growth and development of Children’s Academy Group of Schools?
Very happy and satisfied in terms of the quality of education provided. But because of our focus on quality, we have fallen behind in terms of numbers.

Pessimistic or optimistic about the future of education in India?
With parents in rural and urban India ready to invest in the education of their children, there’s no cause for pessimism.

Also read: 25 Leaders reinventing K-12 education – Rohan Bhat