Our society is balanced on the helms of education, and teachers are the driving force who navigate us towards the epitome of success. Passionate about teaching, Dr Grace Pinto took keen interest in children's development and commenced her journey as a teacher. Along with her husband, Dr. A. F. Pinto, she began her mission of making education accessible and affordable to as many children as possible.  The couple travelled all over India and even to the remote areas, opening up centres of learning and empowering young generation and throughout this journey, they received an overwhelming support from the stakeholders ­ the parents, teachers, local communities ­ who trusted them to educate their children. Amicable, articulate and aware, Dr Grace is bequeathed with leadership qualities and is predominantly engaged in making a definite difference in the educational system by streamlining it and making it more relevant to today's times.  As the Managing Director of Ryan International Group of Institutions, she steers the course of current education system towards a modern thoroughfare.  As an educationalist of prominent expertise and an adherent believer of God, Dr Grace is comprehensibly involved in crafting a modern and phenomenal platform along with her husband Dr. A. F. Pinto.

Dr Grace Pinto engages in an exclusive interaction with Women Entrepreneur magazine.

What are some of the most challenging aspects of your current role and how do you overcome these challenges?

Providing quality education has always been a challenging task.  As the Managing Director of a network of schools, there have been several challenges all along the way which have only caused me to stay grounded and rooted in values and my faith in Lord Jesus Christ. I can say that, "Being in leadership has been a learning from and for life" experience.  In-spite of various challenges, we have successfully taken quality education not only in cities but also in various towns of India yielding encouraging results.

Also, establishing India's premier education brand and achieving a global benchmarking was no easy task.  To understand the changing trends in global education and leadership and where strategic decision is required at every step, I learnt that it was important to innovate and be progressive in approach.

Can you throw some light on the most significant milestones achieved by Ryan International School under your leadership?

We have worked with our team to pioneer a number of national and international events to develop different life skills among students. Ryan Group was the first school in India to organise the International Theatre Festival (ITF) and the Indian Model United Nations (INMUN), as well as the prestigious World Scholars Cup (WSC), which had record-breaking participation.

International Cultural Exchange programs facilitate trips for students to the US, Italy, Switzerland, Australia, Germany, Eastern Europe and the UK, with a focus on developing a greater appreciation of arts, culture and a global world view. On occasion, students have had the chance to visit NASA for educational programs that allow them to interact with astronauts and hone their scientific temperament.  Ryan Group schools also place a strong emphasis on sport and media skills, collaborating with athletes and media personnel to provide world-class coaching in these fields. They offer courses in media studies and filmmaking, and are the only schools in India that have fully equipped in-house media studios.

What is your opinion on the current state of school level education in India and how can the scenario be improved?

A new National Education Policy introduced last year sets out a blueprint for a huge overhaul in the way institutions operate in the country. The policy, among other things, aims to increase access to quality education for children with disabilities and socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, to encourage a shift away from rote learning, to boost research in higher education and increase university enrolment. With its emphasis on holistic learning and educational excellence, many of Ryan Group's practices already align with the new policy. We at Ryan remain committed to fostering industry-academia partnerships to impart 21st century skills and provide new avenues to our students for `learning by doing' and to upskill, reskill and reinvent themselves to keep up with an ever-changing world and emerge not only as industry ready employable youth but also choose their own vocations to be researchers and entrepreneurs and contribute to society.

“We at ryan remain committed to fostering industry-academia partnerships to impart 21st century skills and provide new avenues to our students for `learning by doing'”

What would your advice be to young women who aspire to become business leaders and entrepreneurs in the education sector?

There have been times when a woman had to face a lot of indifference, discrimination and inequality in the society.  However, due to the access to education, the emerging and developing nations have proved the economic potential and corporate stature women possess today. I believe therefore that every woman can make a positive influence not only in her family but also on the entire society.  I, therefore urge every woman to happily embrace to your own individuality because it gives you your own identity..

Dr Grace Pinto, Managing Director, Ryan International Group Of Institutions

Today, as the Managing Director of a Countrywide network of 135+ plus vibrant schools spread over 18 States of India, Dr Grace is responsible for providing overall strategic direction to the organization and ensuring effective imparting of education to nearly a quarter of a million students. An ardent supporter of women's empowerment, Dr. Pinto is associated with many social projects targeted to uplifting the poor and needy.

Awards and Recognitions

·`Albert Einstein Award' by Asia Africa Consortium for her outstanding and unparalleled contribution and efforts in Education, October 2021

·Shiksha Bhushan Sanman 2021 by Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Hon'ble Governor of Maharashtra at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai on 18th August 2021

·Life Time Achievement Award by Hon'ble Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Ramdas Athawale during the Education Conclave (NEP) and School Excellency Awards 2021 March 2021

·The Most Promising Women Leader 2021 awarded by the Economic Times March 30, 2021

·Visionary Leadership in Education Sector Award at the Mid-day Excellence in Education Award Ceremony, May 2019, Mumbai.

·Global Leaders Award at the 2nd edition of 'India UAE Partnership Summit' 2018 (IUPS), Dubai October 2018

·AsiaOne Person of the Year 2016-17 presented by His Excellency Mils Perisic, Charge D'Affairs of Embassy of Republic of Serbia at Dubai, May 2017

·Education Evangelist of the Year Award was conferred upon by Baroness Verma, Conservative member of the House of Lords (UK) at London, February, 2017

·Guinness Book of World Records for the highest charity donations.