Page 14 - Dr Bijaya Kumar Sahoo

Eduleader

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You quit a successful accountancy practice to promote the SAI International School in 2008. Why?
I believe sound education is the necessary foundation required for purposeful and meaningful existence. I quit the
accountancy profession because I realised then that spreading the light of learning would enable me to disseminate
the valuable gift of high quality education while experiencing self-fulfilment.

Subsequently you promoted SAI Angan — Bhubaneswar’s largest preschool — and more recently the SAI Interna-
tional Residential School...
After establishing SAI International, I attended an early childhood education programme at the Harvard Graduate
School of Education and followed it up with an education leadership programme at the National College, Notting-
ham, UK. These courses enabled me to understand the critical importance of early childhood education in preparing
children for school and higher education. The outcome is the state-of-the-art SAI Angan pre-primary.

Moreover, after quickly developing SIS into Odisha’s #1 day-cum-boarding school, I became aware of Odisha’s need
for a globally-benchmarked wholly residential school to enable children from across the state and eastern India to
avail internationally benchmarked boarding school education. In SIRS we have developed our unique, proprietorial
8+8+8 school programme in which children focus on academics, co-curricular and sports activities and sleep peace-
fully for eight hours.

What are the distinguishing features of education in SAI institutions?
Focus on students’ all-round development by igniting the mind, energising the body and strengthening the soul
through a wide range of co-curricular and 21st century learning skills.

Impact of the SAI group on K-12 education in Odisha.
Our K-12 institutions have totally transformed school education in Odisha, shifting the mindset from singular focus
on academic learning to holistic development with equal importance accorded to co-curricular and sports education.
Our schools have also introduced the idea of globally benchmarked campuses and sports infrastructure in Odisha.
And I am pleased to note that a large and growing number of greenfield schools are learning from our example.

In recognition of the SAI model of education, the state government has appointed me Advisor of the Odisha Adarsha
Vidyalaya Sangathan. I am leading a team which has started free-of-charge CBSE schools in all of the state's 314 ad-
ministrative blocks.

Thinker/philosopher you admire the most.
I admire the writings of Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo. However I practise the teachings of Shri Sai Baba of
Shirdi whose core values are shraddha (devotion) and saburi (patience).

Your leadership style.
I believe in leading by example and empowering my team members to execute their roles with authority and respon-
sibility.

Your favourite book on education.
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua.

How satisfied are you with the growth and development of your group institutions?
Satisfied, gratified and energised.

What are your future plans?
I am ready, willing and able to share my experience of conceptualising, building and managing institutions of educa-
tion excellence with educationists, philanthropists and education entrepreneurs. To this end I am selecting like-mind-
ed educationists and edupreneurs to establish a global management firm.