Neeti Bhalla Saini is the Principal of Mayo College Girls’ School, Ajmer, India, where she has served for the past year. Founded in 1988, Mayo College Girls’ School is a residential school operating under the Cambridge and CISCE (ICSE and ISC) boards. The school focuses on developing creative and critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and providing interdisciplinary education. Through innovative teaching and learning activities, the school cultivates leadership skills in students through extracurricular activities. While evolving technologies have made it easier for policymakers to transform and modernise education, it remains a challenge for educators to ensure student learning. HRM Nepal spoke with Saini to discuss their approach to educating students and maintaining their position as a top school in India. Excerpts:
Q. What does it mean to you to lead a school that consistently ranks among the best in India?
A. I feel both pride and a great sense of responsibility in leading a top school. Maintaining that position year after year is not easy. We don’t compete with others; when you’re at the top, you compete with yourself. This requires deep introspection and analysis of our own ecosystem: identifying what works well, what needs changing, and how to evolve and move forward. That’s the responsibility that comes with leading the top all-girls residential school. We are delighted to continue progressing because we aspire to even greater heights. We want to provide the best possible learning environment for our students, enabling them to excel in whatever paths they choose. It gives me immense pride to see our accomplished alumnae successfully navigating their chosen careers. We strive to provide that same foundation for every girl who joins us.
Q. How do you leverage your learning management system to ensure progressive and high-quality education?
A. I recall hearing long ago that life consists of two things: creating problems and solving them. This ever-evolving world presents new challenges, and currently, we’re discussing the challenges of a BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, and Incomprehensible) world. With the rise of AI and digital solutions, the world is changing rapidly. The pace of change has increased fivefold compared to 20 years ago. In the coming years, the world will transform significantly each year. Even those developing AI feel that the pace of change warrants a pause. In such a rapidly evolving landscape, two things are critical: problem-solving skills and critical thinking, along with interdisciplinary knowledge.
We talk extensively about skills, but are we truly teaching children problem-solving skills? Developing this ability requires significant input from parents as well. If parents are overly protective and cater to every need, children won’t learn to overcome challenges. Let children come out of their comfort zone and make them work a little harder to achieve what they want. We often anticipate their needs and provide things before they even ask. This should start with parenting. Within the school environment, it’s crucial to constantly push children and their boundaries so they can rise above the problems. It’s important to prepare them mentally, emotionally and physically for the world. Secondly, we need to pose problems for them so they can develop critically analysed solutions. The best way to teach problem-solving is to create somewhat artificial environments where they encounter problems and must find solutions. This teaches them lifelong skills. We should encourage them to reflect on past problem-solving experiences and ask how they would approach similar problems now. If a solution doesn’t work as planned, they should always have a Plan B. Children need this adaptability. While we may have experienced this less due to growing up in a different world, the current and future generations will face far greater challenges. They will need to improvise and adapt quickly.
Q. Given that you are a residential school and children can be particularly sensitive, what strategies do you employ to ensure student retention and well-being?
A. We often see children missing home, especially those in grades IV and V, and even some in senior classes can feel lost and vulnerable in a new environment. Coming to a completely different setting like Mayo College Girls’ School requires sensitivity on our part. We have counsellors on campus who regularly conduct group sessions and individual check-ins with the students. We engage them in constructive activities outside the classroom, encouraging participation and outdoor experiences. We focus on meaningful engagement so they begin to enjoy their time here. We’ve seen numerous examples of this.
One girl, who joined Mayo in grade IV, initially seemed very confident. However, after a few days, she realised her parents had left her there. She became unsure and unsettled, even saying she wouldn’t return after the summer vacation. I encouraged her to complete grade IV, and if she still didn’t want to stay, we would arrange for her to leave. Just recently, I spoke with her at dinner, and she told me she doesn’t plan to leave Mayo until she completes her grade XII. I believe the entire school functions like a family. The friendships and bonds they form help them through this transition, but they also need considerable external support.
Q. How do you foster critical and creative thinking in your students?
A. Several components of school life contribute to developing critical and creative thinking. These include experiences in music and dance rooms, art studios, computer and robotics labs, and sports – essentially, exploring all available areas. We believe that leadership is a skill that significantly enhances critical thinking. While we have designated student leaders, we also conduct leadership sessions for all grade XII students. This prepares them for life beyond school and helps them understand what it means to be a leader. The idea is to instill in them that even if they aren’t formal leaders today, they may become leaders tomorrow. This is one of the qualities we nurture. Although only a few will hold leadership positions in school, we aim to groom everyone to be a leader.
Another area we focus on to develop critical thinking is providing opportunities for students to take leadership roles in organising school events. Our students are deeply involved in event organisation, often co-hosting with teachers. When I ask students about the difference between participating in debates at other schools and at Mayo College Girls’ School, they invariably mention the greater level of involvement and ownership they experience here. Providing opportunities and ownership empowers them to find solutions. In our school, the students design the concept and theme of the event, and the teachers act as catalysts for their thinking.
Q. With the rapid evolution of technology, particularly AI, what specific challenges do you foresee in the realm of teaching and learning?
A. That is precisely my challenge when I observe the rapid development of these technologies. With the increasing prevalence of AI, my biggest fear is that students could lose their creativity. There are differing views on this. As educators, we teach students to be true to themselves and to acknowledge their sources. We teach them to minimise plagiarism and respect copyright. With the widespread use of AI, we can’t ignore it; it must be integrated into our systems. As an educator, I would rather teach students to use AI responsibly – to explore their mistakes, gather ideas, and use AI as a learning tool. Another important point I continually emphasize is why our children should only be consumers of technology. Why can’t they be involved in developing technology and become creators rather than just consumers? AI is certainly the biggest challenge I see in education. Keeping students away from phones and devices is almost impossible; they need them to learn and participate in this transformative world but of course subject to them using their devices responsibly. Otherwise, how can we progress and achieve our goals?
Q. We have adopted Western teaching and learning traditions to modernise or transform education. Do you believe this approach is effective in our context, and what kind of policies should we develop to address this?
A. It’s easy to adopt international systems, modern methods, or global trends. However, in doing so, we often overlook the specific context in which we operate. For example, if we adopt an international curriculum, we shouldn’t be dealing with pounds and dollars; our currency is rupees. Are we translating that modern learning system into the context of our own country? While it’s important for our students to learn world history, it’s even more crucial for them to understand the context of Nepali history (in Nepal) or Indian history (in India).
Policymakers should focus on concept-driven programmes rather than simply focusing on content and copying existing systems. The curriculum should be conceptually derived. For instance, if the concept is ‘conflict’, we should first explore local conflicts and then move towards global conflicts, allowing students to think comparatively. This will enhance their creative thinking and problem-solving skills. If our curriculum and policy-driven programmes become more conceptually driven, it will bring about a significant change in education.
Q. Given the challenges Nepal faces with talent retention, what policy recommendations would you make to minimise the significant outflow of skilled individuals?
A. Policymakers should focus on two key areas: creating more job opportunities for youth and expanding opportunities for business programmes and entrepreneurship. They need to ensure that our infrastructure is robust enough to support these job and entrepreneurship opportunities within the country. Young people need to see a future and potential for growth for themselves.
Q. Given the shared culture and languages between Nepal and India, if Nepal were to encourage students to pursue their education in India, do you believe this would reduce the permanent migration of Nepali youth?
A. I believe this is achievable. I strongly feel that Nepali students who go to study in India, due to the shared culture and similar environment, are more likely to return to Nepal than those who go to European countries, Australia or the United States. I think it needs to be a two-way process. If the Indian government could provide more opportunities or scholarships for Nepali students, Nepal should also invite Indian universities to education fairs and make it easy for students to explore what Indian universities offer.
Studying in India can be more accessible and cost-effective for the masses compared to sending students to Western universities. Policymakers should also prioritise establishing ties between Nepali and Indian universities/institutes. We shouldn’t delay; the longer we wait, the more time passes, and generations will be deprived of opportunities. It’s true that India also faces challenges with students migrating abroad, but considering its population size, it’s a minor issue compared to Nepal. In our school in Rajasthan, we hold university fairs twice a year with over 100 Indian universities and an equal number of international universities participating, giving our students a wide range of options to explore.
Q. Does Mayo College Girls’ School have any plans to diversify its student body by including more students from South Asia, including Nepal?
A. We are always striving for greater diversity. We welcome more students from diverse nations because it enriches the experience for all our students, teaching them to be more tolerant, sensitive and appreciative of the world’s diverse needs. We have an open admissions policy and welcome applications from all eligible students. We are also working to make travel to our school more convenient for international students. We are very keen to attract more international students.
