Redbricks

Professional Biography

Renita Handa is a social entrepreneur and educationist with almost two decades of experience in building and leading not-for-profit educational institutions. She is the Founder of Redbricks Education Foundation, Ahmedabad, which she established in 2009 with her husband Aditya, and which today serves a community of almost 1000 students supported by 100+ academic and administrative staff across Pre-K to Grade 12. Prior to Redbricks, she founded Poiesis Achievement Foundation, an after school life skills development centre for children. She has consistently worked towards one mission: bringing sustainable change to society by widening access to quality, globally benchmarked education for every child.

Academic Credentials and Certifications

Renita holds a Master of Education (Specialised Studies) from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and an MBA in General Management from the McCallum Graduate School of Business, Bentley University, USA, where she graduated with High Distinction and the highest GPA in the Class of 2010, receiving the Professor E. William Dandes Award for Graduate Academic Excellence. She is also a graduate in Law and in Science
(Electronics and Physics), topping her cohort in the latter. Her continuing professional education includes multiple programmes at Harvard
among them Art of Leadership: Improving Schools, Project Zero Classroom and Teaching for Understanding — an IB PYP concept-based learning certification, and the Reggio Emilia international study programme at the Loris Malaguzzi Centre, Italy.

Educational Philosophy and Operational Role

Renita leads the academic vision, strategy, systems and processes of Redbricks Education Foundation, spanning Redbricks School, Redbricks Early Years Centre and the Foundation’s teacher and parent education programmes. Her philosophy is highly child-centred and research-based:
she believes children learn best through play, inquiry, rigour and developmentally appropriate experiences, and that the quality of any school rests on the quality of the adults around the child. She therefore invests deeply in innovative curriculum design, the translation of global research into
everyday classroom practice, and the continuous capacity building of educators and parents through ongoing training and coaching. Her vision for Redbricks is a sustainable, future-ready learning ecosystem that makes globally benchmarked, values-driven education accessible to the wider community in India.

Industry Recognition and Thought Leadership

Under Renita’s leadership, Redbricks has earned sustained national and international recognition. The school secured affiliation with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) and has held the British Council’s International School Award accreditation. Education World India ranked Redbricks Early Years Centre the city’s #1 preschool for five consecutive years and placed Redbricks School among India’s leading K-12 schools year after year, with Grand Jury rankings for innovative teaching, community outreach and campus architecture and design. Renita has been personally honoured with the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry Business Women Wing’s Excellence Award and the FICCI FLO Sambhavaa
Woman of Excellence – Excellence in Education Award, and was featured by Education World India among the young rising stars of Indian education.
She extends this work beyond the campus as an advocate for accessible quality education. She has conceptualised and led community initiatives including the annual Young Children’s Work Exhibition, the ‘Read to Lead’ Young Readers’ Conclave, the ‘Kathotsava’ storytelling festival and the Knowledge Bus learning-on-wheels programme, collectively reaching thousands of children, parents and educators. She has published in early childhood education journals, authored project-journey books documenting children’s learning at Redbricks, spoken at national conferences and panels on the purpose and future of education, and led professional exchanges with school leaders and teacher-education institutions in Finland.