ARISE Student First

As our UK Delegation series continues, we turn to a school shaped by care, equity, and purpose.

Tucked in the heart of Southwark, Surrey Square is more than a primary school—it’s a living model of how values-driven education and community partnership can transform student lives. Part of Big Education Trust, this publicly funded academy has gained recognition for its inclusive ethos and its commitment to nurturing responsibility, respect, enjoyment, community, perseverance, and compassion.

Looking forward to learning how a school embedded in a diverse urban setting fosters such a powerful culture of care, equity, and aspiration.

As Knowledge Partner for Delhi AI Grind, ARISE joined the launch of India’s first city-wide AI innovation movement, unveiled by Hon’ble CM Smt. Rekha Gupta and Education Minister Shri Ashish Sood, with ISRO astronaut Grp Capt Shubhanshu Shukla inspiring students to dream big and innovate fearlessly.

The Curtain Raiser on December 7 brought together students, educators, and sector leaders to kickstart a city-wide effort that will engage over 5 lakh students across 1,000+ institutions in developing AI-led solutions for real-world challenges.

ARISE remains committed to strengthening a movement that equips learners with creativity, curiosity, and future-ready skills needed for an AI-driven world.

As we commemorate over 75 years of India–UK diplomatic relations, a high-powered delegation of school leaders and policymakers will head to London from January 19–23, 2026, to engage with one of the world’s most established and future-focused education ecosystems.

Organised in collaboration with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), with COBIS as knowledge partner, the 6th Annual Indo–UK Delegation aims to foster institutional dialogue, leadership exchange, and through visits and other high impact engagements.

With a shared vision for strengthening inclusive and future-ready schooling, this study tour will provide a purposeful space for and .

Proud to co-host the Indo–Finnish School Education Collaboration Session with Education Finland, Business Finland, Embassy of Finland in India and FICCI.

Led by Ms. Outi Hakanen, the Finnish delegation met ARISE member schools for meaningful dialogue on inclusive learning and future-ready innovation.

A promising step towards stronger global partnerships in school education.

As part of the continued dialogue at ARISE Thought Leadership Day on November 11, the second session invited school leaders and principals to engage in a shared inquiry on the future of schooling and the leadership it will require.

The session Leading Schools Through Change: Leadership mindsets, school culture, and teacher transformation in times of rapid change was led by Manit Jain, Co-founder, ARISE; I Am A Teacher & Eduxa Ai. A Harvard alumnus and a pioneer of progressive education in India, his session invited participants to reflect on how school leaders can navigate uncertainty with clarity, build resilient school cultures, and empower teachers to thrive.

Through honest conversations and shared reflection, leaders explored what it takes to create learning environments that adapt, evolve, and remain deeply student-centred.

ARISE hosted its Thought Leadership Day on November 11, bringing school leaders and principals together for two immersive sessions of shared inquiry on the future of schooling and the leadership it will require.

The session, Let’s Define the Future of Schools – Together (Putting the Child Back at the Centre of Learning, Leadership, and Change), was led by Mr. Naga Prasad Tummala, Co-founder & Chairman-Company Board, ARISE and Co-Founder & CEO, Coschool. Drawing on his work in future-focused school leadership, he guided participants through a deep exploration of what tomorrow’s schools must be prepared for.

Leaders engaged with four interconnected lenses: the world children will step into, their health and longevity, their relationships, and their learning. With sixteen discovery corners and an energetic, collaborative format, the session encouraged school leaders to reimagine the child, the teacher, and the school through a future-ready lens.

ARISE convened its Members Meeting on 10 November in Hyderabad, bringing together senior education leaders from across India for a focused day of dialogue and reflection. The discussions moved from organisational updates and the 2026 strategic workplan to region-wise insights presented by ARISE State Chairs & Co-chairs from across the country. These updates highlighted regulatory priorities, membership growth, on-ground challenges, and strategic recommendations from each state offering a clear, evidence-based view of the evolving K–12 landscape and the work ahead for ARISE. offering a comprehensive view of priorities and emerging needs across the K–12 landscape.

A key highlight was the global knowledge session by Colin Bell, CEO of COBIS added an international perspective on collaboration and excellence in education.

The Members meeting underscored ARISE’s commitment to building an independent, credible industry body representing the K–12 sector, grounded in research, and a shared vision for the future of education in India.

Celebrating the trailblazers redefining the future of K–12 education!

Congratulations to the winners of ARISE Excellence Awards 2025 Supported by FICCI, for championing innovation, inclusion, and impact in schools nationwide, and paving the way for Viksit Bharat @ 2047.

Academy, Coimbatore, Shiv Nadar School, Aravali International School, Army Goodwill Public School - India, SLPS Silverline Prestige School Gzb., Ashoka Group of Schools Prakriti Ramagya School Noida, Whitefield Global School, Modern Public School, Delhi, Suchitra Academy .M.S Taldangal-1, Ranchi, Public School, Hisar High School, Bashettihalli, Karnataka .M.S Taldangal-1, Ranchi Vidyalay Naveen Malav Kanya, Indore . Sr. Sec. School Dhundha, Barmer, Rajasthan High School, Menkurem, Goa Christian Higher Secondary School, Meghalaya .M.S Dangalpara, Jharkhand Goodwill School, Wuzur, Jammu and Kashmir Primary School, Lajpat Nagar III, Delhi Upgraded Middle School Lem, Ranchi Kanya Madhya Vidyalaya Raghunathpur, Ranchi Airtel Foundation

At the ARISE School Education Conference 2025, Shri Ashish Sood, Hon’ble Minister of Education, NCT of Delhi, delivered the keynote address on the theme “The New Balance: Tradition & Technology Empowered by Empathy.” He spoke candidly about one of the most debated issues in Indian education — the divide between public and private schools. With both sectors educating nearly 18 lakh students each in Delhi, he emphasized that they are not adversaries but partners in nation-building: “The future cannot be public versus private, it must be public and private together.” Education, he reminded the audience, is not a commodity to be traded but a sacred duty, with schools serving as the organs of national reconstruction.

Outlining Delhi’s priorities, the Minister announced key reforms, including the establishment of 100 Dr. Kalam AI language labs, the introduction of AI-powered dashboards to track student progress in real time, and a renewed emphasis on foundational literacy and numeracy. He also praised initiatives such as Uttar Pradesh’s Vidya Samiksha Kendras, noting how collaboration between states can strengthen the education system as a whole. At the same time, he cautioned against over-reliance on technology: “AI can analyze, but it cannot inspire. It can personalize lessons, but it cannot replace a teacher who believes in a child.”

He urged that empathy remain the anchor of education, reminding the gathering that true reform is realized in classrooms, not in files. His message was clear: India must create an education system that is modern yet human, competitive yet compassionate, global yet deeply Indian.

Concluding his address, he offered a powerful vision for the role of technology in education:

“Let AI stand not for artificial intelligence but for amplified inclusion.”

“Sky was never the limit — not for me, not for you, not for Bharat.”

At the Valedictory Session – Fields of the Future, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, Astronaut (ISRO), left ARISE 2025 delegates with a stirring call to action: nurture problem-solving, curiosity, and resilience in India’s 250 million school-going children so they’re ready for challenges no one has faced before.

Speaking as a proud product of India’s education system, he shared personal stories — from failing exams and yet not being encouraged not to be diaheartened to flying fighter jets and travelling to space & understanding the excitement & power of study by theory backed by practical applications — to show how passion, empathy, and teacher mentorship can change a life. He also addressed the school students present in the hall, patiently taking their questions and guiding their queries with warmth and humility, turning the keynote into a dialogue rather than a speech.

His message was clear: we can give students knowledge, but we must also give them the skills and values to figure out the unknown. Shukla urged educators and leaders to design policies and classrooms as robust as a spacecraft — flexible enough to withstand stress, and rooted in humanity while reaching for the stars.

At the ARISE School Education Conference 2025, held in collaboration with , this powerful session challenged school leaders to rethink the very heart of the classroom model — a 19th-century invention still holding 21st-century children hostage. With insights shared by Dr. Parul Minhas and Prakash Nair, it spotlighted how innovative design and nervous-system-aware environments can unlock balance, well-being and creativity for every learner.
The session also marked the launch of the Indian edition of “A New Language of School Design” — a landmark book originally published by A4LE that reimagines learning spaces to nurture curiosity, connection and well-being, now contextualised for India’s unique opportunities and challenges.
“Learning requires a balanced nervous system. When schools become life-balancing communities, children not only learn better — they thrive.”
Through vivid examples, the speakers showed how classrooms can evolve into dynamic learning suites where collaboration, curiosity, well-being and personalisation coexist — turning schools into ecosystems that prepare children not just to master content, but to live, lead and innovate in a rapidly changing world.

At the ARISE School Education Conference 2025 (in collaboration with FICCI), Richard Culatta, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), delivered the Keynote Session on reimagining the student learning experience.
He shared eight research-backed principles of transformational learning — from designing experiences so engaging that students want to be at the centre, to modelling responsible AI use, and shaping classrooms that nurture curiosity, creativity, and connection.
His core message resonated deeply: “We don’t just need student-centred learning, we need learning so compelling students choose to be at the centre.”
The keynote left leaders with a clear roadmap to reimagine teaching, technology, and learning spaces so every child not only learns better, but thrives.