Governing Board

His experience talks beyond his age but his objective stays the same—to provide world class excellent education for the younger generation. A part of the field of education since 1970, Mr. Ananda Athukorala started his career as the HOD of Humanities at the Woizero Siheen Comprehensive College at Ethiopia and over the years has been associated with some of the top schools in various countries including South Africa, Sudan, Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand and India.

Apart from co-ordinating and heading a host of student-community programs and teacher training programs, Mr. Athukorala has been instrumental in structuring and developing the curriculum in some of the top schools including the Dhirubai Ambani International School in Mumbai and the New International School of Thailand. As the curriculum manager, he also trained and held various workshops for Theory of Knowledge for IB teachers and also guided several writing workshops.

Before being associated with the Edubridge International School, Mr. Athukorala was the Head of School at Mainadevi Bajaj International School in Mumbai since 2010. Earlier, he has also offered consultation for the Asian Development Bank Project in Sri Lankan and around the same time, he was also involved in the Middle Years Programme (MYP) teacher training session in China. While he was mainly heading the humanities of curriculum departments at various schools, Mr. Athukorala ensured that he was in touch with the grassroots-working of the institutions. Be it developing student community linking projects or designing field studies that could be integrated into lesson plans, his work has always made a huge difference in the overall development of the students as well as the school.

At Edubridge International School, Mr. Athukorala intends to provide his vast knowledge to the school management and at the same time, make world class education accessible to the younger generation.

Mrs. Parikh, a mother of three children, has long been a proponent of the IB Programmes. Having gone through more traditional forms of schooling herself, she fully understands the value for holistic education offered by the IB Programmes at all levels as opposed to unquestioned rote-based learning within most schools in India. For this reason, she has enrolled her own children into IB Schools herself, to ensure that they learn to become responsible adults on their own and embrace newly emerging ideas rather than to maintain status quo.

Besides playing an active role on Edubridge International School’s School Board and being a President of the school’s Parent Body, Mrs. Parikh identifies herself with the IB’s Learner Profiles of ‘Caring’. She strongly believes that education ought to cater to the needs of each child rather than the other way around, so that students learn to set goals and high standards for themselves to accomplish, rather than to quantitatively compare themselves with their peers. Building on her beliefs and her own experience with the Primary Years Programme, Mrs. Parikh has been instrumental in drafting and shaping the School’s Special Education Needs and Academic Honesty policies. It has been Mr. Amal Parikh’s vision to build a world class school and Mrs. Parikh is trying her best to help him fulfill his dream by playing an active role through the School Board of Edubridge International School.

Above all, one thing that Mrs. Parikh can relate to is IBO’s goal of ensuring ‘lifelong learning’. Even now, she finds herself fascinated in learning something from her children as they return home and recount their experiences from school.

It’s great to hear about Edubridge International School’s growth and success over the past ten years. The school’s ability to retain staff and build a collaborative workplace culture is impressive and has likely played a large role in the school’s overall success. It’s also encouraging to hear that the school actively invests in its teachers’ professional development, as this benefits both the teachers and their students. Congratulations on this milestone anniversary, and here’s to many more years of success and progress!

The story is told in numbers: when the school opened its doors in 2013, we began with a fledgling class of 65 students and a staff of 40, spanning from Pre-K to Grade 10. In 2023, that number has now grown to over 400 students- a 56% year on year increase. Of these, an average of 98.7% of the students have remained at the school. The staff strength has also increased to over 80. Since 2013, we have been able to retain almost 77% of our workforce on a yearly basis. The present leadership team is made up of teachers who started early in the school’s journey; they have an average of 8.3 years of experience at EIS! These impressive statistics are a measure of Edubridge’s ability to meet the needs of all our stakeholders- students, parents and teachers.

At EIS, we take pride in nurturing the whole child, not just academically but also emotionally, socially and physically. Our comprehensive curriculum, coupled with a range of extracurricular activities, allows students to explore their passions and develop their talents. We believe in providing a holistic learning experience that prepares our students to face the challenges of the future with confidence and resilience. We also understand that education is no longer confined to a classroom and that technology has transformed the way we learn. EIS uses cutting-edge technology to enhance the learning experience and empower our students to become self-directed learners who are equipped with the skills to thrive in a globalised world. EIS is a community that fosters mutual respect, understanding and a sense of responsibility towards one another. Our parents are active partners in their children’s education and we value their contributions to the school’s growth and development.

In conclusion, Edubridge International School is not just a school, it is a community that nurtures the next generation of leaders who will make a positive impact in the world beyond our school gates. Our commitment to our values, holistic education, technology and community make EIS a happy, fulfilling and inspiring place to learn and grow.

A teacher, leader, and innovator in the field of education, Mr. Purcell joins Edubridge after a distinguished 20 year career in teaching and educational development.

Mr. Purcell received his Master’s Degree in Physics from The University of Texas at Austin. He began his teaching career at Huston-Tillotson College and the Science Academy of Austin at LBJ High School in Austin. Mr. Purcell came to India in 2000 to be Head of Mathematics at the Mahindra United World College. Since 2002, Mr. Purcell has been at the New International School of Thailand. There, he has taught math, science, history, and Theory of Knowledge.