A principal is often seen as someone who ‘puts out fires’. While this may be true at times, we all would agree that a
principal’s role is pivotal. Many take up the job for the love of children while others rejoice promoting collaboration and nurturing relationships among students, staff, families and community leaders. “For me it is the opportunity to be a catalyst of change, to nourish a learning environment that enables innovation, collaboration and growth”, speaks Mrs. Bhupinder Gogia, Principal of Sat Paul Mittal School, a school with a difference.
She took charge as the principal of Sat Paul Mittal School in 2010 and has since then has transformed the educational
landscape in Ludhiana with her farsightedness and expertise. “When I joined as the school leader, I immediately realized that the need of the hour was to give more creative freedom to my teachers. This is something I had learnt from my mentor”, says the dynamic leader. She believes that being an educationist is a ‘karmic job’ which provides one with an opportunity to be a vehicle to drive change. She was determined to act, after all, she was the school leader. “I always wanted to provide students with access to voices, people and cultures that better reflect the broader world in which we live” expounded Mrs. Bhupinder about her ideology on progressive educational reforms. She saw in every opportunity a chance to provide transformational feedback, collaborate with families and community organizations, and positively impact a student’s academic trajectory. She believed that one of the primary
responsibilities of any school is to prepare children for future and that the aim of education is to help a student grow.
She staunchly advocated implementing student and faculty continuous improvement programs focused on raising academic levels of students, improving educators’ teaching skills, and encouraging community involvement. Ludhiana is a tier two city in Punjab and if students couldn’t go out and get exposure, she wanted technology to bring the world to them. The school partnered with Microsoft and became a Microsoft Showcase school. Being a learning enthusiast
herself with a rich academic profile, she also added another feather to her cap recently by becoming a Microsoft Certified Educator as well as a Microsoft Showcase School Leader.
Mrs. Bhupinder also recognizes the delight she gets from working with the faculty, ‘especially when we’re problem
solving or discussing some new, innovative ideas that they want to put in their classrooms’, she added. Relishing
her role as a Principal, she owes her success to the strong support of her family, the immense trust bestowed on her by the School Management and the committed and dedicated staff, who is willing to learn and adapt to the changing
educational landscape. She has had a phenomenal impact on all the people she has met and helped them make their
lives worth living and loving. Under her leadership, Sat Paul Mittal School has won innumerable awards both in
academic and non-academic areas. She has led the school to number ‘One’ position in Punjab and‘amongst the top 50
schools in India’.
“I envision a world ripe with equal opportunities for children to grow and evolve and contribute to the society as global citizens”, she concludes.
