Vikram Nandakumar — Principal, Senior Secondary School
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
School leader with 24 years in CBSE senior secondary education, the last eight as principal of a 1,860-student school in Chennai. Grew the roll by 620 while holding class size at 34, and cut teacher attrition from 19% to 6%.
Experience
Principal, Kaveri Heights Senior Secondary School · April 2018 – present
CBSE co-educational school, Classes I to XII. 1,860 students, 112 teaching staff, annual budget of Rs 21 crore.
- Leads 112 teaching staff and 1,860 students; the Class XII pass rate has held at 100% for five years while the average aggregate rose from 74% to 86%.
- Lifted Class X mathematics and science averages by 11 and 9 points through a daily 40-minute remedial block and named tracking for every child below 60%.
- Grew enrolment from 1,240 to 1,860 over eight years while holding class size at 34, adding nine sections and 28 teachers without a fee increase above inflation.
- Cut teacher attrition from 19% to 6% with a paid 40-hour annual development entitlement and a named mentor for every new joiner.
- Opened 128 places under the RTE quota and added the transport and uniform support that has kept attendance for those students above 92%.
Vice Principal (Academics), Kaveri Heights Senior Secondary School · June 2013 – March 2018
- Rewrote the Classes VI to VIII assessment policy around termly diagnostics, taking students reading below grade level from 31% to 14%.
- Introduced fortnightly lesson observation cycles across eight departments, with written feedback for all 74 teachers and a termly moderation meeting.
- Led the CBSE affiliation renewal and the infrastructure case that funded 12 new classrooms and a 4,000-title library.
Head of Department, Science, Thillai Public School · June 2007 – May 2013
- Led eight science teachers across Classes VI to XII and raised the Class XII physics average from 61% to 78% over four cohorts.
- Built the first working junior laboratories for Classes VI to VIII, with a timetabled practical for each of 640 students every fortnight.
Post Graduate Teacher, Physics, Thillai Public School · June 2002 – May 2007
- Taught Classes XI and XII physics to 180 students a year; students clearing the engineering entrance cut-off rose from 9 a year to 34.
- Started the Saturday doubt-clearing clinic that ran for 14 years and is still timetabled.
Education
- M.Ed. Education · University of Madras · July 2010 – May 2012
- B.Ed. Education · University of Madras · June 2001 – April 2002
- M.Sc. Physics · Loyola College, Chennai · June 1999 – April 2001
Skills
- School leadership: Academic planning, Staff appraisal, Timetabling, Budget and fee policy, Board affiliation
- Curriculum and outcomes: CBSE curriculum, NEP 2020 rollout, Assessment reform, Remedial programmes, Career counselling
- Community and compliance: Parent engagement, RTE admissions, Child safeguarding, Alumni relations, Fire and safety audits
Certifications
- Certificate in School Leadership and Management — National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration