Pioneering Inclusive Educator Gita Jagannathan Joins My Safe Spaces SWISS Certification Council

Founder of APL Global School, to strengthen India’s first evidence-based student wellness certification framework

BANGALORE, KARNATAKA, INDIA, February 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- My Safe Spaces, India’s leading student mental health certification organization, today announced the appointment of Gita Jagannathan, Founder and
Managing Director of APL Global School, Chennai, to its SWISS (Student Wellness & Institutional Safety Standards) Certification Council. The appointment brings one of India’s most respected voices in inclusive and personalized education to the governance body shaping school safety standards across the country.

The appointment comes at a critical moment for Indian education. Government data reveals that 13,892 students died by suicide in India in 2023—a staggering 65% increase over the past decade. Despite spending over 1,000 contact hours per year with students, Indian teachers receive virtually zero training in recognizing mental health warning signs or responding to students in distress. The SWISS Certification Council was established to close this gap through
evidence-based standards and institutional accountability.

About Gita Jagannathan
Gita Jagannathan founded APL Global School in Chennai in 2008 as a mainstream inclusive school offering personalized learning solutions to students with diverse needs, including giftedness and other neurodivergences. Under her leadership for over 17 years, APL Global School has become a model for learner-centered education in India, demonstrating that inclusion and academic excellence are not mutually exclusive but deeply complementary. A graduate of S.I.E.T College, Chennai, with further qualifications from Cambridge Assessment in Teacher Education and the University of Roehampton in Special and Inclusive Education, Jagannathan brings over a decade and a half of hands-on experience in building inclusive learning environments and nurturing strong teaching communities. Her school’s association with Cambridge International Examinations and the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) reflects a commitment to both global standards and Indian realities—values that align directly with the SWISS certification philosophy.

“At APL Global School, we have always believed that education must address the whole child—not just academics, but emotional and psychological well-being. The SWISS certification framework gives schools a structured, evidence-based pathway to do exactly that. I am honored to join the Certification Council and contribute to a movement that can transform how Indian schools protect and nurture their students.”
— Gita Jagannathan, Founder & Managing Director, APL Global School, Chennai

Role on the Certification Council
As a member of the SWISS Certification Council, Jagannathan will help shape certification standards, advise on alignment with global best practices in inclusive education, and champion the adoption of SWISS across school networks in Tamil Nadu and beyond. Her expertise in personalized learning and teacher development through APL Global School’s Teacher Mentor Centre will be invaluable as SWISS scales its Gatekeeper Certification program—a CPD
Standards Office UK-accredited, 4-hour self-paced course available in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

“Gita Jagannathan represents the very best of Indian education—a leader who has spent nearly two decades proving that every child, regardless of their learning profile, deserves a safe and supportive school environment. Her voice on the Certification Council strengthens our mission to ensure that teachers across India are equipped to recognize and respond to students in distress. We are deeply honored to welcome
her.”
— Hubert Jerome, Founder & CEO, My Safe Spaces

About SWISS Certification
The Student Wellness & Institutional Safety Standards (SWISS) certification is India’s first comprehensive, evidence-based framework for school mental health preparedness. Accredited by the CPD Standards Office UK (Provider #50828) and developed in research partnership with the Mindful Dignity Lab (US), SWISS certification requires schools to meet five core standards: Teacher Gatekeeper Certification, Quarterly Teacher Labs, a comprehensive Policies Toolkit, a trained Wellness Council, and Crisis Response & Support services.

About My Safe Spaces
My Safe Spaces is a mental wellness and student safety certification organization dedicated to addressing India’s student mental health crisis through evidence-based training and institutional certification. Operating under NxtGen Technologies LLC, My Safe Spaces delivers three certification programs—SWISS for K-12 schools, SWISS HigherEd for colleges and universities, and CREW (Corporate Resilience & Employee Wellness) for corporate organizations. The organization’s mission is driven by the principle that the people who spend the most time with students are best positioned to recognize distress and provide early intervention—yet most receive zero training to do so.

Madhurima Das
My Safe Spaces
+91 80 6268 9525
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