The importance of women in school leadership is not a widely studied subject in India. Several reports have been written on the hindrances women face while traversing the career ladder in the education sector. However, hardly any of them address the why factor for improving the quality of schools by bringing women into leadership roles. N. Mythili, an expert in school education, wrote in her book titled Women in School Leadership, “Indian studies generally discuss the impact of social norms, family mores, social class, socialization and caste on women’s career aspiration, choice of profession and income from employment. They highlight the role conflict among women teachers or discuss the stereotyped practices that inhibit the impact women teachers can make.”
When it comes to giving leadership roles, the Indian patriarchal society has somehow conveniently tried to ignore that women school leaders develop greater interactivity with children, helping them achieve greater engagement with learning and better results. In fact, many women academicians would agree that they are treated as a single category, making no distinction between school heads, teachers, and educational administrators. Fortunately, we can see the wind is changing now. The education sector is slowly making way for women to take the baton of leadership.
In this issue, we celebrate the success of women leaders in the Indian education sector. We have identified ‘10 Most Inspiring Indian Women in School Leadership’ who have harnessed the spirit of innovation and excellence to produce tangible, path-breaking results in the education sector.
Enjoy Reading.