Nidhi Jain

Educator/Teacher

I am Nidhi Jain, Principal of BCM Senior Secondary School, Basant City, Ludhiana, where I oversee both academic and co-curricular operations. As an educator and school leader, I strongly believe that meaningful education goes far beyond academic achievement and must equip students with the skills, confidence, and experiences needed to succeed in life. A key focus of my work is expanding the co-curricular and extracurricular ecosystem of the school to create opportunities for holistic student development. As the Basant City community continues to grow and evolve, I see an increasing need for learning experiences that nurture creativity, leadership, communication, critical thinking, and character alongside academic excellence.

I am most passionate about teaching and learning in extra-curricular environments. I feel that they provide tremendous learning opportunities for children, and we get to observe their higher order thinking skills to a greater extent in these kinds of environments. I find immense joy not only in teaching children in these environments, but also simply observing them in these environments. For example, just yesterday I observed one of my children exhibit brilliant lateral thinking skills through a new passing strategy while playing a game of football. These are the observations and experiences that I am most passionate about.

One idea I believe is worth spreading is the concept of a “Failure Lab” in schools—a dedicated space where students can experiment, test ideas, build prototypes, take intellectual risks, and learn from unsuccessful attempts without the fear of being judged solely by outcomes. Traditional education often prioritizes correct answers and polished results, leaving little room for the trial-and-error process that drives innovation. By normalizing reflection, iteration, and learning from mistakes, schools can help students develop resilience, creativity, and confidence in navigating uncertainty. In an increasingly complex world, it is important that students understand that meaningful growth and problem-solving often begin when things do not go according to plan. This is one of several ideas I am passionate about exploring as we continue to rethink how education can better prepare young people for the future.