Most people who run schools focus on running them well. Dr. Rajesh Punna is more interested in running them differently.
An educationist, entrepreneur, advocate, and philanthropist from Kamareddy, Telangana, Dr. Punna owns and leads multiple educational institutions, with Little Scholars High School, Kamareddy, as his flagship. But what sets him apart is not the number of institutions he runs. It is the way he runs them: with the curiosity of an innovator, the discipline of a businessman, and the heart of a teacher.
A School That Refuses to Be Ordinary
Little Scholars High School is built on one guiding idea: “Out-of-the-box thinking for future-ready students.” Under Dr. Punna’s leadership, that idea shows up in everyday school life, not just on banners.
The most talked-about example is Little Scholars Radio, described as Telangana’s first school radio. It is run by students. They interview teachers and guests, research and present history in a show called “On This Day,” and host messages for the school community. Programmes are streamed live through the website and a mobile app. A child who learns to speak into a microphone today learns to face an audience tomorrow.
The innovation does not stop there. The school has dedicated spaces for robotics, art, music, and dance, so design thinking, creativity, and stage confidence grow alongside academics. Learning is planned in clear stages, from play-based early years to concept building, critical thinking in middle school, and focused preparation in the secondary years. Olympiad and IIT foundation programmes give ambitious students an early edge.
Running a School Like a Modern Institution
Dr. Punna brings a systems mindset to education, shaped by his years in business. He is building digital syllabus tracking for his school, giving leadership a clear, real-time view of teaching progress across classes instead of relying on paper registers and guesswork. Teachers are treated as the engine of the school, supported by regular training and close partnership with parents.
“A school should not just prepare children for exams,” Dr. Punna says. “It should prepare them for a world we cannot fully see yet. That means we, as school leaders, must keep changing too.”
Groview: Growth in the Digital Age
Alongside education, Dr. Punna is the Founder of Groview Corporation, a Hyderabad-based digital marketing and web development firm. Groview offers SEO, Answer Engine Optimisation, Google and Meta advertising, website development, and social media marketing. Having grown institutions himself, he understands what schools, coaching centres, and clinics need to stand out, and Groview brings that practical understanding to every client.
Acharyaz.in: Solving Education’s Hiring Problem
Dr. Punna also created Acharyaz.in, a hiring platform built for educators and schools. Every school leader knows that good teachers are the heart of a good school, and that finding them is one of the hardest parts of the job, especially outside big cities. Acharyaz.in brings teachers and schools onto one platform, making hiring faster, simpler, and more reliable for both sides.
A Rare Mix of Experience
Dr. Punna’s path was not a straight line. After a Master’s in International Business from GITAM University, Visakhapatnam, he worked in the shipping industry in Chennai and Mumbai, then returned home to Kamareddy as an Assistant Professor at an engineering college. He also holds an LLB and is an Advocate. This blend of business, academia, and law gives him a rare view of how institutions are built and sustained.
A Philanthropist at Heart
For Dr. Punna, success means little unless it is shared. As President of the Rotary Club of Kamareddy, he led projects that improved facilities in government schools across several villages, including providing dual desks and building girls’ washrooms, so children could learn with comfort and dignity. Under his leadership, the club also installed bus shelters and carried out a wide range of other community service activities.
His contributions to education and society have earned him several awards and recognitions over the years.
The Next Chapter: Sandbox and Book Publishing
Dr. Punna is now venturing into two new areas that complete his vision. Sandbox, his preschool chain, brings his thinking on early learning to the youngest children, at the stage where curiosity and confidence first take shape. His new book publishing company will extend his work to the content that children and teachers learn from.
From preschools to classrooms, from teacher hiring to publishing, Dr. Rajesh Punna is shaping what education can look like in Telangana. His approach is clear: keep experimenting, keep improving, and never let a child’s background limit what is possible. “Innovation in education is not about expensive technology,” he says. “It is about asking one simple question every day: is there a better way to help this chi