Dr. Bhavanishankar Subramanian, Ph.D.

Narrative –  Bhavanishankar Subramanian

Over the last nineteen years, I have been integrating policies of various education boards (CBSE, CIE, IB and NIOS) and inclusive education models (Davis Learning Strategies) with institutional demands. I have been leading a group of  instructional leaders to implement the same across educational verticals. The Key functional roles have focused on designing, directing, mentoring, sharing and supporting various pedagogical and androgogical practices like instructional plans, delivery, assessments and reporting. I have endeavored to create productive learning environments providing ways for innovations, experiential learning, functional and action research, reflections, corrections and redesign. I am also engaged in coordinating whole school ICT strategies addressing campus wide networks, LMS and ERP solutions for academic and administrative transactions, repository building, assessments, career related student profiling and reporting.

Workforce hiring and professional development have been integral to my work. Appreciable time has been factored into the annual time lines to support professional development.  The creation and integration of Subject Study Groups (SSGs) and Teacher Study Groups (TSGs) have facilitated engagement of teachers and students across different education boards, academic disciplines and levels of instruction empowering learner and teacher groups to constantly engage in multidisciplinary and trans-disciplinary learning. I have been working with a dedicated team of educators and various stake-holders of the school community and the neighborhood in developing Social Education, Life Skills and Value Based Spiritual Education Programs that underpin greater personal and social responsibilities and accountability.

Tracking the dynamics of inter-personal or group interactions and providing channels for conflict resolution has been one of my key team building efforts. Reflections on professional advancement has compelled me to constantly work on enhancing collaborative training programs for academic faculty and student groups. Liaising network expansions on learning platforms with multinational participation and leadership training through CCA have been some of my team-building efforts. During these learning years, my personal contributions, my teams’ contributions and the institutions I have had the honour of leading have been credited and globally and nationally acknowledged for the efforts and achievements in various aspects of quality such as organisational leadership, academic outcome, sports, physical and health education, visual and performing arts, inclusive education, research, innovations, entrepreneurship, internationalism, faculty and student leadership, community building, environmental sustainability and social education (Education World, Times of India, Future 50 leaders, Future 50 schools shaping success, Great Place to Study, SPICMACAY, Rotary International, AIM, Govt. of India, Govt. of Tamil Nadu to name a few) .

I have had the privilege of working as a researcher for over fifteen years and have consciously brought in this learning and experience to the educational institutions I have been connected with. I was instrumental in creation of post-graduate facility for biotechnology at an Arts and Science College, designed classrooms and laboratories and developed research-specific course content for high school, undergraduate diploma, undergraduate and post-graduate courses in Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, Life Sciences, Psychology, Aquaculture, microbiology, biochemistry, biotechnology, cell and molecular biology and immunology.  Strategic planning for whole school and course accreditation procedures were outlined by my efforts at school and college level. I have actively contributed to the national initiative to popularize science through experimentation (DST-NCSTC) and have jointly planned, created and procured governmental funding for an innovation facility for students at school. I have jointly developed concepts and designed processes for energy and water conservation and other environmental sustainability initiatives and have, over the years had the honor of being recognised as a resource person for professional training in Life Sciences, Environmental sustainability, Experiential learning, Adolescent Education, Art Integration, School Management and Leadership.

As a school leader, I have keenly engaged in student projects underpinning the UNSDGs on rehabilitation, climate studies, waste management, resource, water and energy conservation, bioremediation, biodiversity and human resource sustainability though UNAI and UNESCO connects as  UNASPIRE/ UNESCO-ASPnet institutional associate. I am currently engaged in creating and curating a multidisciplinary curriculum for the lower-primary classroom and in the creation of a frameworks for Guidance and Careers curriculum and Health and Physical Education curriculum spanning the K-12 learning environments while building relationships with institutions of higher learning for tertiary education continuum.

I have been an active advocate of peer-learning through student groups and have promoted this as a strategy at school. Facilitating the learning  through various student led projects has been hugely rewarding as student leaders continue to contribute their mite through UN student leadership conferences on development, the Commonwealth Youth Council, TEDEd club, IAYP, the Interact club, the Uniformed Corp (NCC, Scouting, and RSP) and various other student bodies to better global understanding and citizenship.

I have effectively designed and managed administrative components relating to academic units. Devising guidelines and implementing procedures in the management of resources, attendance and work schedules, screening and regulating information gateways, academic purchases, procurement and regulation of internal transaction chains, coordinating inventory controls in academic spaces, libraries and laboratories are some of my key functional strengths. System/ personnel appraisals and evaluations, formulation of academic audit procedures, performance tracking in learner communities, discipline management, preventive and remedial maintenance, resource safety, disaster management and  formulation of task specific operational plans and protocols during pandemics and  other exigencies have been some of my monitoring and sentinel responsibilities.

In my capacity as a school leader I have endeavored to harmonize realistic achievable with aspirations, demands and needs of learners, workforce, community and the management. Counselling and educating adolescents on careers, task-specific skilling, sexuality, identity and orientation,  behavior, risk, relationship and adjustment issues is a responsibility close to my heart.  Over the last 19 years as a school head, my greatest learning has been acknowledging and accommodating the constancy of changes and understanding when to let go.