Media Release
Bengaluru, Sep 13: Day two of the International School Leaders’ Summit 2025 at Alliance University unfolded as a powerful re-examination of education’s role in an era defined by transformation. With conversations spanning technology, legacy, and inclusivity, the proceedings affirmed that while innovation provides the scaffolding, it is imagination, resilience, and cultural rootedness that give education its enduring form.
The day began with panel discussion I: Leveraging technology to build learner-centric education, moderated by Prof K Kirthan Shenoy of the Alliance School of Law. Speakers agreed that technology, though indispensable, cannot by itself constitute the future of education. Dr Kusala Kumara Jayendra Fernando (Gurukula College) called for embedding innovation in public schools to bridge policy and practice. Dr Rajeev Kumar Chauhan (B K Birla Centre for Education) noted that technology is a powerful accelerant, but only when guided by human ingenuity and ethics. Dr Shailaja Jayashankar (Kunskapsskolan) emphasized the need for teachers to “unlearn” and adapt in a rapidly changing world, while Rajiv Agarwal (Don Bosco School; Founder, Eduverse) underscored that tomorrow’s educators must balance data fluency with empathy.
This set the stage for a keynote address by Dr B Priestly Shan, vice-chancellor of Alliance University. He urged a paradigm shift from teaching answers to cultivating questions, reflecting the “hungriness of learning” among Gen Z. His vision emphasized strengthening school–university collaborations, responsibly integrating AI with teachers as mentors, and reviving indigenous knowledge through Alliance’s Back to Bharath initiative, which has already seeded thirty-five startups. Announcing a forthcoming teacher learner centre at the university, Dr Shan stressed that education must move beyond prescriptive curricula to become research-driven, inquiry-led, and morally responsible.
The morning also featured panel discussion II: Building educational legacy, moderated by Dr Julien Paret of the Alliance School of Liberal Arts and Humanities. Priya Anand (Mount Litera School International) argued that a school’s true legacy lies not in curricula but in values, culture, and principles, with wellbeing and creativity at the core. Srivalsan Murugan (Our Own English High School, Sharjah) reminded that schools unwilling to evolve risk stagnation, while Dr Manila Carvalho (DPS Bangalore East) emphasized preparing students for both success and failure with resilience and independent thought. Dr Jyoti Gupta (K R Mangalam World School) positioned schools as “the building blocks of a Viksit Bharat,” advocating outcome-driven education that fosters problem-solvers and fearless innovators.
The day concluded with the session on Inclusivity in Education for a Sustainable India. Pro-chancellor Abhay G Chebbi welcomed the gathering by underscoring inclusivity as inseparable from justice, equity, and empathy, urging that sustainability in education must be rooted in social and cultural contexts. Delivering the keynote, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, member of parliament (Mysore & Kodagu), congratulated Alliance University for hosting such timely deliberations. He called for reviving Bharatiya philosophies, embracing diversity in all forms, and creating education systems grounded in swadeshi knowledge. “India must respect its indigenous knowledge systems rather than look westward,” he remarked, stressing that inclusive education must empower both society and economy.
The proceedings closed with a vote of thanks by Dr Ray Titus, pro vice-chancellor for incubation & innovation, and closing remarks by Dr Shyam Kishore, associate dean at Alliance University. Across sessions, the consensus was clear: the future of education in India must be technologically empowered, value-driven, and inclusively designed for a sustainable tomorrow.