Faculty

Nita Luthria Row, Junior School Head

Nita has qualifications in English Literature, Spanish and also holds a Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education.

She started her career in education in Bangalore where she did a short stint with Bangalore International School as a primary school teacher. She later worked for several years with Kangaroo Kids.

After moving to Mumbai, she joined Bombay International School as the Spanish ab initio teacher and CAS Coordinator for the Diploma Programme. She became the Diploma Programme Coordinator in 2014.

Nita has attended several workshops in pedagogy and is passionate about technology integration in education. She is an IB examiner for Spanish ab initio and an Assessor for Adhyayan. She also serves on the board of Down to Earth, an NGO that works closely with the children and youth of the Cuffe Parade community.

She characterises herself as a lifelong learner. Her educational philosophy can be summed up very simply in two words, “Child first”.

Vaishali Mehta

Vaishali has been working in the Pre-Primary section at BIS since 2005.  She has done her B.A. and Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education from Mumbai University.  She has also completed her Diploma in Yoga Education from Kaivalyadhama Institute. Vaishali has done several workshops including the Intel@Teach to the Future programme, the Jodo Gyan Math workshop, the Navnirmiti Math workshop, Art of Storytelling and PYP training. She has also completed workshops in areas like Introduction to English Language, Mathematics, General Knowledge, Art, Craft, Music, Drama, Games and Social Skills.

Vaishali has always enjoyed teaching and finds creative opportunities to make learning an enjoyable process. She has varied interests and passions linked to creativity. She loves travelling, music and exploring new cultures and cuisines. She has been a volunteer at the Art of Living Foundation since 1998. She has worked with educational NGOs to craft their Pre-Primary curriculum. She is now at Level 2 of Ikebana flower decoration. Vaishali started her teaching career in 1996 and worked for nine years at the Gopi Birla School.

Dolly Desai

Dolly joined Bombay International School in 2014. She has done her MBA in Marketing and also done the ECCEd (Early Child Care Education). She has a teaching experience of over 4 years. She was previously working with The Miniland School and has taught all the age groups of the pre-primary section. She is currently working with the pre-primary section and is the home room teacher for Lower Prep. She is passionate about travelling and loves to explore new cultures. She also enjoys reading, yoga, music, painting and indoor sport activities.

Vibhika Gupta, Assistant Coordinator - Early Years

Vibhika has been teaching the Pre-Primary section at BIS since 2013. She has done her B.Com. and Diploma in ECTE. She has attended workshops in PYP training, Jodo Gyan, Differential Learning, and the Vision, Mission and Values at BIS. These have enriched her teaching experience. She is passionate about teaching children. She has also done courses in calligraphy, jewellery design, candle-making, and handicrafts.

Ruchi Shah

Ruchi joined Bombay International School in 2016. Apart from doing an M. Com and D.M.M., she also has a Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education. She is an experienced PYP teacher and has attended workshops in inquiry and pedagogy.

Ruchi believes that the education children receive in the early years is fundamental to their holistic development. She affirms that in order to equip young learners for the future, teachers must use unconventional and out of the box ideas to develop life long learners who are tomorrow’s global citizens. She models creativity, positivity, compassion and a growth mindset.

Her hobbies are travel, sports, art, dance and music.

Anuja Sanghvi

Anuja is an ex student of BIS who has been in the field of the education for the past 10 years. She has worked at well-known Mumbai preschools and is an experienced PYP teacher. She has been apart of the preauthorization, authorization and evaluation for two prominent South Mumbai IB schools.

She has a certificate in Early Childhood Education, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology (B.A.) along with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education (B.Ed) in Early Childhood Education from New Zealand Tertiary College. Anjua received IB training by attending workshops for Making the PYP Happen, Inquiry and Assessment and she has also attended SAIBSA workshops.

She is passionate about the process of teaching and learning and believes that the holistic development of young children helps encourage personal and collective responsibility through overall development.

She loves to travel and visit new places and learn about new cultures. Her other passion is music.

Sudha Gopal

Sudha has been teaching the Primary section at BIS since 2004. She has done her B.Com., B.Ed. and E.Com.  Before joining BIS, she worked with Tata Electric Company.

Sudha has done workshops on how to incorporate music and dance in the classroom, an IGCSE workshop on Conducting Exams and Inclusive Education. All these have enriched her teaching experience.

Sudha loves being with children and teaching them.  She likes to travel and explore new places and cultures.  She likes to read and cook in her free time.

Krupa Thakkar

Krupa has been teaching the Pre-Primary and Primary section at BIS since 2011. She has done her B.A., Teacher Training Course and B.Ed. Before joining BIS, she worked as a Pre-Primary teacher for 10 years and also as a Project Head. This involved setting up a Preschool and planning the curriculum.

Krupa has attended workshops on Story Telling, Music, Making PYP Happen, and a number of Maths workshops. She is open-minded about new ideas and has a way with children.

Nooriyah Kanchwala, Team Leader

Nooriyah has worked as an Early Childhood Educator and has acquired certified curriculum training by the Cambridge International Examination Programme and has been a PYP facilitator for 4 years and has been with leading schools through  pre-authorization and authorization. She  has been through International Baccalaureate certified trainings and workshops on Assessments, Action, Concepts, Inquiry and SAIBSA.

Nooriyah has been a NESA member and is certified by Prof. Jay MacTighe for Understanding By Design at the American School of Muscat in early 2014. She has undergone the Jolly Phonics Programme for teaching phonetics in the early years and is also a trained theatre arts teacher.

Nooriyah strongly believes in the PYP ideology where the teacher plays the role of a facilitator and students are empowered to inquire, research, rationalize and think out of the box through hands on learning experiences and engagements.

Pooja Bajaj, Assistant Coordinator - Primary Years

An alumna of BIS, Pooja has completed her Bachelors in Management Studies. She has published research papers in various Journals of Banking and Economics. She has attended the IB – Making PYP Happen workshop, Brain Gym, Reggio Emilia India Conference and Mind Mapping.

A zealous person, Pooja believes in spreading positivity with her sparkly ideas in whatever she does. Her creativity infuses life into the subjects taught by her making the learning process interactive, joyful and truly a lifelong one.

Teaching is Pooja’s passion and she truly believes that all knowledge is within an individual, all it requires is an awakening through inquisitiveness and questioning. She loves travelling, reading, running and listening to music.

Nidhi Patel, Team Leader

Nidhi has been a Homeroom teacher with the Primary section at BIS since 2015. She has done her diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education. Before joining BIS, she worked as a Pre-Primary teacher and a School Counselor.

She has enhanced her professional skills by attending numerous workshops on PYP and Reggio Emilia. A masters in Psychological Counseling allows her to gain perspective of the multifaceted role played by a new- age teacher.

She is passionate about travel and exploring aesthetics in cultures other than her own.

Neetu Awasthi

Neetu has been teaching the Primary section at BIS since 2003. She has done her M.A. in Hindi from Agra University and B.Ed. in Hindi and History from Mumbai University. She has attended a workshop at MRA Panchgani on Leadership qualities, workshops on activities and games, PYP training, Differential Learning and the Mission, Vision and Values at BIS.

She enjoys spending time with young children, reading books and drawing.  She is very fond of listening to Indian music.

Anjali Parsekar

Anjali has been a Hindi educator for the last 33 years. Having completed her DECCE and Masters in Economics from SNDT University, she has been passionate about teaching from an early age. Over the years, she has worked in various schools including the IBDP and IGCSE section of a reputed international school. She has also worked as Head of Hindi Department in one of her previous assignments. She has attended various workshops such as the IB workshops (Category I and II), Making The PYP Happen and numerous SAIBSA conferences for PYP and IBDP.

Anjali has done voluntary work at various NGOs like Oscar, Magic Bus and Salaam Balak. She is fond of Indian dancing (Kathak), travelling and meditation. She has attended two courses of Vipassana at Igatpuri under Guruji Satyanarayan Goenka.

Her teaching philosophy – “For the past 33 years, I have devoted myself to teaching Hindi. In my teaching career, I have always tried to motivate students to tap on their inner strengths and abilities and to discover what truly inspires them. I believe in the practicality of what is taught versus theoretical knowledge.”

Jyoti Alva, P.E.

Jyoti has done her BA,  B.P.Ed, NIS Football from Kolkata  and also is a D licensed coach from AIFF. She has an overall teaching experience of more than 17 years. Prior to joining BIS, she worked as a Sports teacher and Football coach at Jamnabai Narsee School for 8 years. She has been trained as a leader for International  award for young people and, is also a Guide Captain. She was awarded the prestigious Rajya Puraskar in Bharat Scouts and Guides. She has played in All- India football tournaments  at the national level for several years.

Abhishek Singh

Abhishek has been teaching the Pre-Primary and Primary sections at BIS since 2011. He has done his D.Ed. and D.P.Ed. Before joining BIS, he worked as a Primary teacher at the Gauridutt Mittal Vidyalaya, Sion. He has attended workshops on PYP training, Differential Learning, the Mission, Vision and Values at BIS, and Discipline Policy at BIS.

Abhishek loves to play all kinds of sports. His motto in life is to play, and to teach everyone how to play.

Radha Prasad

Radha Prasad has done her B.Sc. and PG Diploma program in Nutrition and Dietetics. She has gone through several Madhuban Hindi workshops and has six years of teaching experience. She has been teaching at BIS for the past year. Radha believes that teaching is as much about her growth as a teacher, as it is about participating in the academic and social growth of a child. This passion drives her to constantly seek knowledge, which in turn helps her to become a better teacher.

Radha believes that the greatest trait one can possess is to constantly strive for excellence. She enjoys music and has been training in Hindustani classical music. She has also been successful in helping children with Elocution. Projects and presentations as a part of learning excite her immensely.

Dhruvi Dharia

Dhruvi  is a Counsellor. She has been trained in Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy and Hypnotherapy. She has also completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Integrated Education and Counselling from Prafulta and is currently undergoing training as an Arts Based Therapist from the WCCL Foundation Pune. She has also been a Speech and drama facilitator for 3 years and enjoys working with children.

Jesica Cardmaster

Jessica is the Visual Arts teacher for the PYP section. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Sir J J School of Arts Mumbai, with a specialization in Murals, as well as a Diploma in Interior Design from Rachna Sansad Academy of Architecture Mumbai. After working as an interior designer for 5 years she took a sabbatical that led to re-discovering her passion for art. Her aim here at BIS is to ensure that all children have a chance to discover the joy of expressing themselves through art and also gain a better understanding of different types of art through art appreciation sessions.

Medhavi Vora

A lawyer by profession, a teacher by passion. Teaching is something very close to Medhavi’s heart. Medhavi has over 9 years of teaching experience in various leading IB schools. She is a Directress from the prestigious Ratan Tata Institute and has completed her LLB from the Government Law College. She also has a B.A (with Honors) from Sophia College, and is currently pursuing B.Ed from the University of Mumbai. She has been part of the pre-authorization and authorization process, and has participated in several internationally certified workshops such as – Jolly Phonics, Making PYP Happen, Teaching and Learning, Key Concepts, Inquiry & Assessment.

Medhavi has been a recipient of several scholarships as well as sports medals, during her academic career. For her, each child is blessed with a certain gift to mark his contribution to the Universe. It gives her true happiness to help in this process of discovery. Medhavi firmly believes in viewing the parent and herself as a single unit, with a sole common focus of bringing out the best in the child.

Abhay Karandikar

Abhay has been involved in music since he was 5 years old. He has 7 years of teaching experience as a music teacher in various schools with Primary and Middle School classes. Abhay is a professional lead singer on TV and Radio channels and enjoys participating in professional theater. Abhay has completed the degree of Sangeet Visharad and Sangeet Alankar. He also holds a Masters degree in Hindustani Vocal Classical Music, a Diploma in Light Vocal Music, a Diploma in Music Composition, Music Arrangement and Music Direction and a Diploma in Sound Recording and Production. He has also worked as an announcer on “All India Radio”.  Abhay enjoys every aspect of music and its presentation.

Khyati Jhaveri

Khyati holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, a Bachelor’s degree in Education from New Zealand Tertiary College and a Diploma in Early Childhood Education. She has thirteen years of teaching experience which includes seven years in the field of PYP education. She has been a part of the pre-authorization, authorization and evaluation process in a leading institution and joined BIS in May 2016.

She has enhanced her professional skills by attending several PYP workshops. These include Making the PYP Happen, Inquiry in the PYP, Assessment in the PYP, Jolly Phonics, SAIBSA and many other in-service programs held in school. Khyati’s passion is to help students build confidence in their ability to achieve, both academically and socially to become lifelong learners. She loves travelling, cooking, painting,
dancing and listening to music.

Radhika Thakkar

Radhika has done her Bachelors in Management Studies, B.Ed and M.A in Education and has been teaching the International Curriculum for two years. A national level waterpolo player, she strongly believes in team work. In class too, one can learn a lot from others – is what she firmly believes. Radhika admits that she has grown as a teacher because of her students and thus considers learning as a two way process.

She enjoys interacting with children of all ages and expresses her creative side through teaching.

Prachi Maniar

Having done her Bachelors in Biotechnology, teaching happened by chance while Prachi was planning on her Masters. She is a qualified CIDTT ( Cambridge University’s International Diploma for Teachers and Trainers ) professional. She has meticulous knowledge about 4 main modules of teaching and learning - Design, Practice, Assessment, and Evaluation. She has received certified training from the International Baccalaureate and attended workshops like Making the PYP Happen, Teaching and Assessment in the PYP, NCERT workshop on Effective use of Math Manipulative by Jodo Gyaan and SAIBSA.

Prachi has worked with an established leading IB and CIE school in Mumbai for five and half years before moving to BIS recently. She is a trained PYP practitioner and has been teaching this curriculum for several years. She has been an active part of IB re-evaluation and CIS certification processes in her previous school.

Passionate about teaching, she believes in enriching herself constantly. She supports the ideology of encouraging children to be life-long learners. Apart from that, she likes to read, she is an amateur blogger, loves to travel, enjoys listening to music and is an adventure junkie.

Shwetankshi Bhuwania

Shwetankshi Bhuwania has a Masters Degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of Mumbai. She has earlier been teaching Primary School students for a number of years. Prior to becoming a teacher, Shwetankshi has worked as a Human Resource professional in the corporate world.

Shwetankshi believes that the best part of being a teacher is the opportunity to learn from children themselves. She also believes that holistic development including social and emotional growth is an integral part of school and growing up. Reading and travelling are her favourite hobbies.

Komal Thakkar, Team Leader

Komal Thakkar is a trained early childhood educator and has been engaging and imparting education for the last 15 years. Having worked with a renowned preschool for 8 years, Komal moved on to set up a preschool (Pyramid Kids) in central Mumbai and served as their educationist for a year. Komal has been in the field of PYP for the last 6 years and has been part of pre authorization, authorization and evaluation processes. She has received certified training from the International Baccalaureate and attended workshops like Making the PYP Happen, Inquiry and Assessment in the PYP and SAIBSA.

Komal is passionate about teaching and strongly supports the ideology of Benjamin Franklin “ tell me and I will forgot, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I will learn”. Komal also enjoys dance and travel.