Innovator by example: Nidhi Thapar

Thapar: pedagogy innovation focus

Nidhi Thapar is Vice President (academics) of the Bengaluru-based Ryan Edunation Services Pvt. Ltd (REN), a company that manages 16 K-12 “premium academies” of the Mumbai-based Ryan International Group of Institutions (RIGI), India’s largest chain of proprietary K-12 schools. The parent RIGI owns and manages 150 K-12 schools in India and the Middle East with an aggregate enrolment of 2.5 lakh children.

Thapar heads a team that designs education innovation initiatives for REN academies. A spearhead initiative is the annual Lead By Example (LBE) convention at which RIGI and REN teachers showcase pedagogy innovations and best practices to an independent jury of academics.

Newspeg. The 11th edition of LBE was convened in Bengaluru on February 8 and attracted 191 entries from RIGI and REN teachers. Of them 50 finalists presented classroom teaching innovations to an independent jury comprising Maya Menon, founder-director, The Teacher Foundation; Dr. Nirmala Krishnan, former country head of education, Jindal Group; Nivedita Mukerjee, education consultant and Sajeetha, a former principal and teacher trainer.

According to Thapar, since introduction of LBE a decade ago, teacher-led pedagogy innovations in RIGI and REN schools have “multiplied exponentially” improving teacher morale and students’ learning outcomes.

History. An alumna of Delhi University and Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya, Jabalpur, Thapar began her career in 1995 as a teacher and acquired 25 years of rich teaching and admin experience in several reputed schools including Army Public School, Kota, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Secunderabad, St. Anne’s School, Jodhpur, and Evergreen Public School, Delhi after which she was appointed the regional head (academics) of the North and West Zone of REN. In 2020, she was promoted to office of Vice President (academics).

Currently as head of academics in REN, Thapar is also in charge of REN’s English Language Enrichment Program, and the Math Center of Excellence, and has played a key role in launching the financial literacy and entrepreneurship curriculums of REN academies.

Direct talk. “LBE is not a competition for teachers but an innovation forum for them. The total number of teachers in REN and RIGI aggregate 16,000. An ever increasing number of them are innovating pedagogies and best classroom practices that have sharply improved students learning outcomes. With over 2,000 teachers having participated in LBE regional rounds and the finals over the past decade, learning outcomes of thousands of students have improved. Yet perhaps the most positive impact of LBE is that it has created a new collaborative environment for knowledge sharing among RIGI and REN teachers and fostered a healthy, competitive spirit among them,” says Thapar.

Future plans. Encouraged by the popularity of the LBE initiative, Thapar envisions strategic expansion of the program nationwide. “We are working on a plan to progressively establish LBE in cities countrywide, building a network of participating schools that will culminate in a national LBE event. This will enable proliferation of innovative educational practices and enhance learning attainments of children countrywide,” enthuses Thapar.

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