Dr. Archna Sharma
Principal's Desk
Greetings to all!
A school's primary responsibility is to provide students with a safe and structured environment in which they learn to identify their potential and nurture their strengths to navigate through a dynamic world. As educators, we prepare our students to understand the authenticity of their life and prepare them to approach learning and challenges with a growth mindset. This enables them to face a future that will demand diverse skills—creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and independence. Therefore, at The Somaiya School, we educate children within and beyond the classroom through a robust curriculum that sparks innovation and curiosity.
I feel curiosity is more important than knowledge itself. In fact, knowledge itself should be presented in a way that piques curiosity - where students reflect on experiences, recognise patterns, develop processes, and conceptualise new solutions to problems.
I feel that education should be inquiry-based where learning is driven by students' questions, ideas, and observations rather than by direct instruction. It is rightly said that “Wisdom begins in Wonder”. We are blessed to have an Innovation Lab in our school where values of freedom, imagination, inquiry and exploration are promoted through scientific temperament and collaborative spirit. I am sure that this small change in thought can make the students leaders of their own learning. They will be ready to pursue their passions and leave an indelible mark on society.
I envision a time where education, with the use of intellect and technology, will serve its highest purpose - nurturing humanity with hope and empathy. Students will engage with subjects not just theoretically, but through real-life, practical experiences. They will contribute positively to sustainable development goals. The most insightful, intuitive and the brightest of minds will serve as teachers and they would be the most valued professionals. Education will not be bound by age, race, gender, caste or class. It will be for all. A good school will not be assessed by the marks and grades but to the extent it has been able to fill the lives of the youth with creativity and graciousness. This vision may seem idealistic, but I believe it is within reach.
Let us all realign the educational practices in our schools to empower our students to be Serving Leaders who are:
Wise enough to say "I don't know"
Right enough to say "I am wrong"
Important enough to be last
Strong enough to be weak
Planned enough to be flexible
Successful enough to fail
Busy enough to make time
Knowledgeable enough to ask questions
Compassionate enough to discipline
Great enough to be anonymous
And Leading enough to Serve. (with love).
- Phillip Clark Brewer (The Paradoxes of Servant Leadership)
Dr. Archna Sharma
Principal, The Somaiya School
Dr. Archna Sharma is a dynamic and visionary educationist with over 21 years of experience in academic leadership, having served as Principal in renowned Army and CBSE schools across India. She currently serves as the Principal of The Somaiya School (TSS), Mumbai.
Driven by the belief that creativity is an inherent quality in every child, Dr. Sharma is committed to nurturing this potential through an educational approach that emphasizes freedom, imagination, inquiry, exploration, scientific temperament, and collaboration. Her philosophy centres on empowering learners to become serving leaders - individuals who lead with empathy, purpose, and responsibility.
A staunch advocate of educational innovation, Dr. Sharma continuously re-envisions teaching-learning processes to align with the evolving needs of 21st-century learners. She has actively conducted teacher training and student workshops for principals, teachers and students focused on the National Education Policy (NEP), effective pedagogies, soft skill development, and student empowerment strategies.
Academic Qualifications
Ph.D. in Management – Research Topic: TQM in Secondary School Education, M.Sc, B.Ed , MBA
Professional Highlights
- Awardee, Brainfeed Exemplary Women in Education Award-2025
- Former Chairperson, Indore Sahodaya Schools Complex (a network of 129 CBSE schools)
- Fellowship Awardee, Educational Leadership Roundtable Conference, CMS Lucknow
- Best Educationist Award, The Oriental University
- Award for Excellence in Education, Honored by the Mayor of Indore
- Master Trainer in learning strategies and NEP implementation
- International Conferelnce Presenter, ACER, 2011
- Mentor, CCE & AEP programs
- Pioneer, CBSE-i Pilot Project
- Editor, School of Educators Journal
- Secretary, All India Association for Educational Research (AIAER), Indore Chapter
Professional Development & Certifications
- Principals’ Leadership Programme, IIM Ahmedabad
- Management Development Programme, NEUPA, New Delhi
- Workshops by NCERT on ECCE, Productive Pedagogy, and NCF 2005
- Adolescence Advocacy Programme, CBSE
- Webinars and talks on NEP 2020 and contemporary education reform
Core Competencies
- Mission-focused leadership in diverse educational environments
- Strategic visioning, planning, and institutional development
- Fiscal and operational management of academic institutions
- Strong ethical foundations and culturally sensitive leadership
- Team building and collaborative problem-solving.
- Expertise in turnaround strategies and institutional transformation
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills
Vision
Dr. Sharma’s goal is to transform the educational experience for students by instilling in them the skills, values, and mindset needed to thrive in a competitive, ever-changing world. She leads with purpose, passion, and the unwavering belief that education must prepare children to be innovative, empathetic, and responsible global citizens.
Ms. Jasmine Shah
Pre Primary Coordinator
A passionate, dedicated and fun-loving early child educator who is working in this field for the past 15 years. An engineer by qualification, She worked in the corporate sector for 4 years until she found her true calling after becoming a mother.
After completing her E.C.C..Ed, she started her journey as a teacher teaching pre-schoolers and training prospective teachers pursuing E.C.C.Ed. She was the Academic head of Beehive – a preschool franchisee venture by the Garodia group of schools.
She later joined as a School Head of Vivero International Preschool – Powai Centre.
Currently, she is the Pre-Primary coordinator with The Somaiya school since 2017.
She visited OWEGO in NY- USA as part of Teacher exchange Program in 2018 to gain deeper understanding about the best practices of various district schools and common core curriculum.
She has conducted School reviews as an external and internal assessor with Adhyayan - an education movement of Indian and international educationists, dedicated to improving the quality of leadership and learning in Schools.
Ms. Avni Mehta
Primary Coordinator
Avni is a lifelong learner with a keen interest in developing and nurturing young minds. She brings with her a decade of experience in the field of education. She has been associated with various international schools as a teacher, team leader and academic coordinator. Along with her love for children, she is passionate about learner-centric and collaborative education. She believes that in education lies the power that can help and nurture every child and motivate them to realise their true potential.
Mental health being the most vital part of our lives, she has always been keen to know and understand how the mind affects human behaviour. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology along with a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology. To mould and augment young minds, she completed Bachelor’s Degree in Education and underwent a Teacher Training Certificate Course on Educational Remedies. She believes in equity for all students, including those with special needs, as according to her, education alone has the power to create a more just world fostering empathy and compassion.
In the year 2017, she received The Nation Builder Award from the Rotary Club of Mumbai West Zone for her outstanding and remarkable work in the field of education.
For Avni, teaching is not just a profession but an art, and she thoroughly enjoys being around children, seeing them grow and flourish under her guidance.
As an educator she wants to instill life skills, moral and social values in the future generation to prepare them to face the challenges of life.
Since student’s character, social emotional skills and academic competencies define schools’ excellence, she would like to prepare holistic learners ready for world citizenship, armed with global awareness and intercultural understanding, ready to lead society rather than follow.
Ms. Sushma Pandey
Senior Secondary Coordinator
Sushma brings on board more than 16 years of rich experience in the education industry in the senior secondary section/junior college. Her key subject areas are Book-Keeping & Accountancy, Macro and Micro Economics and Business Studies. She also has strong administrative experience as a coordinator for over 5 years and has managed critical functions such as admissions, teacher schedules, examinations and cultural events/co-curricular activities.
Prior to joining The Somaiya School, she was a lecturer and the coordinator for commerce division in the junior college at SM Shetty College of Science and Commerce, Mumbai.
Sushma has had a distinguished academic career with a dual post-graduation in Banking & Finance and in Accountancy respectively and she excelled by topping her college for the latter. Prior to this, she had meritorious standings for both her graduation courses, being in teaching and in commerce. She has been conferred with ‘Best Scholar Award’ and ‘JRD Tata Trust Scholarship’ in recognition of her academic excellence. She is currently pursuing her doctoral thesis (PhD) on the topic of Corporate Finance/ Mergers & Acquisitions. She has published and presented research papers in her subject areas at various national and international conferences.
Sushma firmly believes in the philosophy of holistic learning and development for students to equip them with real life skills, along with academics. She has a consistent track record of having effectively planned and implemented a number of co-curricular/extra-curricular events such as quiz competitions, inter-collegiate festivals and industry seminars for her students.
With a deep passion for effective teaching, Sushma constantly challenges herself in order to make the digital learning environment enriching for her students by using innovative and lucid content, leveraging technological tools and incorporating interactive and participative learning environment.