IIM Ahmedabad, Kozhikode, Lucknow: Top MBA colleges take the lead in school leadership training

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have long been known for producing top-tier management graduates and shaping the business landscape in India. However, in recent years, their role has expanded beyond just business education. IIMs are now playing a crucial role in leadership training of school leaders – such as equipping principals and educators with essential soft skills, organisational expertise, and a deeper understanding of curriculum development.

Additionally, these prestigious institutions are actively contributing to the integration of technology in education, helping schools adapt to the evolving demands of modern learning environments.

These institutes have now signed agreements with different state governments. In some states not just the school principals, but even education officials and public sector undertaking employees are part of the training drive.

Bharti Kalra, vice principal at a Delhi government school who was part of one such training at IIM Ahmedabad in 2018, shared how the week-long training helped her.

"It had been six months since I took on the role of school head when I had the opportunity to attend the training. The programme featured numerous case studies on Indian schools that IIM Ahmedabad had already researched.” They shared examples of what schools had successfully implemented, and it gave me the confidence and courage to experiment with innovative approaches in my own school. Otherwise, it often feels like a typical government job where you simply follow orders and circulars. This training truly inspired me to explore new possibilities," said Kalra.

She added that the training also shared insights about management principles, including the “sandwich approach” of placing negative feedback between positive ones while interacting with school staff.

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IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow: Programmes for schools

IIM Kozhikode has been running the oldest programme, called “Leading Schools”, since 2009.

Debashis Chatterjee, director at IIM Kozhikode , said, “Through the Leading Schools programme, we have trained close to 20,000 principals. Unique features of these initiatives include a strong emphasis on personalised attention for participants, ensuring that individual learning needs are addressed effectively. This apart, the curriculum is characterised by meticulous attention to detail, maintaining a high standard of content delivery that is both engaging and informative.”

In the last few years, the institute has also been conducting a five-day capacity-building programme for school principals and officials from the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) in Delhi.

“In addition to leadership development, we also focus on a range of critical areas that are essential for reforming the school system. These include enhancing communication skills, stress and time management, active listening, strategic thinking, fostering diversity and inclusion within educational environments,” said Chatterjee.

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IIM Lucknow has been working with the state governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Sharing details of the programme, Kshitij Awasthi, assistant professor, strategic management at IIM Lucknow, said, “We have several programmes tailored to specific government requirements. Management Development Programme (MDP) for the principals of Government Inter Colleges under the department of secondary education, MDP for the principals of higher secondary education, State Institute of Educational Management and Training (SIEMAT), Madhya Pradesh and MDP for the principals of PM SHRI schools.”

These have been running for three years.

“The programme includes designing of the training modules to enhance leadership and both technical sessions and soft skills. This is done in a way that it compliments the training they have received. Then we execute these programmes. Collaborations also include sharing of observations and training of the trainer,” added Awasthi.

For IIM Sambalpur, of the 13 MDPs it conducted, two were tailored for school principals. These were held in the 2023-24 academic session.

Mahadeo Jaiswal, director of the institute, said, “The programmes were tailored for the school principals of Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya. Participants included principals from 30 different districts of Odisha, including Angul, Balasore, Cuttack, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, and Dhenkanal. The objective is to empower academic leaders, not only to impart a competent and value-based quality education, but also to foster an appropriate ecosystem in their schools.”

StartBlurb In the ongoing session, IIM Sambalpur has organised leadership training for the first batch of 51 principals and vice-principals of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS). EndBlurb

“Participants came from various districts in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh. A second phase of this programme is scheduled for November as well,” said Jaiswal.

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IIM Lucknow, IIM Sambalpur: Collaboration beyond schools

Like the school programme, IIM Kozhikode was the first to train a state cabinet. “The then chief minister of Kerala and his cabinet joined IIM for leadership training sessions in 2011,” said Chatterjee.

Currently, the institute is offering the "Nurturing Future Leadership Programme" – a five-day initiative designed as part of the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme, which is funded by the Ministry of Education. The institute has also engaged and provided leadership training to Navratna Public sector units.

“By leveraging the strengths of these partnerships, IIM Kozhikode enhances the quality and relevance of its leadership training initiatives. This collaborative framework not only facilitates knowledge exchange and best practices but also ensures that the training provided is aligned with the latest trends and demands in educational leadership,” said Chatterjee.

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IIM Lucknow trains district education officials and state directorates in leadership.

“As the training requirements for education officials are often different, we provide customised training to facilitate the system from the districts and headquarter level,” said Awasthi.

And IIM Sambalpur has gone beyond school to higher education. They have been running leadership training programmes for Odisha University of Technology (OUAT).

“We are planning to conduct more leadership programmes that are tailored to address the challenges and opportunities within the school system, both at the state and national levels. These programmes will focus on inclusion of technology in the school system as well,” said Jaiswal.

The institute has also established centres of excellence like the Rangavati Centre of Excellence focussed on enhancing education and training in regions like Angul. It promotes traditional knowledge alongside modern education.

“We also have the Centre of Management Education (CME), run jointly by our institute and IIM Mumbai, in Angul to contribute in capacity building under PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan and Viksit Bharat. This collaborative initiative aims to enhance management education and leadership training, focusing on fostering innovation, inclusiveness, and integrity in the academic and professional realms,” said Jaiswal.

IIM Sambalpur has even collaborated with various prominent organisations to deliver leadership training programmes. Some of the key clients include Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), and Adani Group.