Representative Image
Pune: From giving students a role in running their school through a children’s parliament to bringing parents and the community into school development, 100 schools across Maharashtra have documented how local leadership can bring about change in classrooms and beyond. The School Leadership Academy, functioning through the Maharashtra Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (MIEPA), has published 100 school leadership success stories for 2025-26.
Sangli zilla parishad teacher Ajay Mahadev Kale, whose school’s initiative has been featured in the collection, said giving students responsibility was at the heart of the effort. For children, it was not just an activity but an opportunity to understand responsibility and leadership in real life,” Kale said. Teachers involved in school leadership initiatives said the most effective changes were often those that did not require large financial investments. When teachers, students and parents feel that they are part of the school’s progress, even a small initiative can have a larger impact,” said Manisha Jadhav, a teacher from Pune district, involved in one of the documented initiatives. Another teacher, Vivek Bhamner, said documenting such work also helped schools reflect on their own practices. When such work is recorded and shared, it gives another school an idea that can be adapted to its own circumstances,” the teacher said.
Their stories have now found a place on a national education platform, giving other schools an opportunity to learn from their experiences. The stories have been compiled in a digital flipbook, ‘Shikshan Manthan’, and are available on the official portal of the National Centre for School Leadership (NCSL), National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), New Delhi. “We gave students an opportunity to take responsibility through a children’s parliament. They participated in decision-making and contributed to the development of the school. Better coordination among teachers, involving parents, giving students greater responsibility and using locally available resources could significantly improve the school environment. “Leadership in a school cannot remain limited to the headmaster. “Many teachers are doing innovative work without calling it an innovation.