Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) hosted the SheLeads: Celebrating Excellence event, at the New Zealand High Commission in Delhi. The event was a culmination of Education New Zealand’s SheLeads campaign launched on International Women’s Day to celebrate women leaders, experts, and drive positive change among students. As part of the campaign, Education New Zealand hosted a debate competition at five prestigious schools across Delhi-NCR in April and May, where students deliberated on the topic of underrepresentation of women in STEM.
The inter-school finale was hosted at the New Zealand High Commission where winners from each school presented their arguments on the topic: The Impact of flexible work policies on gender diversity in leadership. The students presented their arguments to an eminent panel of the jury from across education and diplomatic representatives.
SheLeads campaign also included an all-India video essay competition addressing the importance of achieving gender parity in education in alignment with SDG 4. Education New Zealand received over 50 entries from some of the most prestigious tertiary institutions of India. Professor Carol Mutch, Faculty of Education and Social Work, from The University of Auckland, was the faculty jury who selected the top three winning entries, the winners were felicitated at the finale held at the High Commission.
The winners of the inter-school debate competition are:
- Shaurya Datta, Delhi Public School R.K.Puram (for the motion)
- Arohi Ghosh, Shiv Nadar School Gurugram (against the motion)
The winners of the video essay competition are:
- Katyayani Singh, Symbiosis Law School Noida
- Hardik Mahendru, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi)
- Adhyaa Malik, FLAME University
Jugnu Roy, Director of Engagement East Asia & India, Education New Zealand, said: “We are thrilled with the enthusiastic response to the ‘SheLeads’ campaign. The talent and passion displayed by the students in their essays and debates highlight the potential future leaders we have among us. We look forward to continuing our support for educational initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion.”
The event also celebrated the journey of women leaders who have been driving transformation in the context of international education. A panel discussion featuring alumni from New Zealand Universities, all of which are ranked in the top 3% globally, discussed their journey on breaking the glass ceiling and how a New Zealand education helped them pave their success stories that will inspire future aspirants. Panellists included Nazima Parveen, Associate Research Fellow studied at Victoria University of Wellington; Manvi Singh, Assistant Professor, Delhi Metropolitan Education studied at the University of Auckland, and Medha Mathur, Founder & Creative Director, Artyykase and Founder of MM Agencyz, an adverting and marketing agency studied at Auckland University of Technology
