The future of education is no longer about exams and report cards — it is about preparing learners to navigate a world driven by technology, sustainability, and global interconnectedness. Across India, schools are being challenged to move beyond rote learning and create ecosystems where curiosity, creativity, and compassion are as important as academic rigour. The stakes are high: with 250 million children in its classrooms, India’s approach to schooling will shape not only the future workforce, but the future of society itself.

In this backdrop, ETEducation spoke exclusively with Gautam Rajgarhia, Pro-Vice Chairman, Delhi Public School Nashik, Lava Nagpur, Hinjawadi Pune, and Varanasi. Sharing his insights, he discussed how schools can turn intent into impact — from embedding experiential and entrepreneurial learning to harnessing technology and global partnerships — while also addressing the challenges of scale, equity, and mindset change. His reflections offer a roadmap for reimagining education with purpose at its core.

Entrepreneurial thinking, leadership, and sustainable education are emerging as key pillars. How can schools embed these values in day-to-day learning?

Industry leaders argue that real-world skills and purpose must be woven seamlessly into schooling. Entrepreneurial thinking is cultivated when students design, produce, and market real-world products — from handcrafted chocolates to sustainable crafts made from recycled flower waste. These exercises instill ideation, innovation, financial literacy, and resilience.

Leadership, meanwhile, is fostered through daily opportunities: leading assemblies, managing student-led clubs, or initiating community projects. Such roles help students develop independence, collaboration, and empathy.

Equally vital is sustainability. Plantation drives, e-waste collection campaigns, and civic engagement projects make environmental responsibility a lived experience rather than a textbook chapter. This holistic embedding ensures that entrepreneurial, leadership, and sustainable mindsets are not extracurricular add-ons, but central to the schooling journey.

Institutions today are integrating experiential learning, tech-enabled classrooms, and global pedagogical practices. What initiatives are making a measurable impact on student engagement and outcomes?

Experiential learning has moved from being an occasional activity to becoming the backbone of progressive education. Leaders point to examples where everyday lessons are transformed into real-world applications. Students studying economics, for instance, convert classrooms into live marketplaces, engaging in buying and selling to understand the value of money hands-on. When learning about sustainability, children conduct water audits in their homes and schools, developing a tangible sense of environmental responsibility.

Technology is amplifying this approach. Interactive digital boards, virtual simulations, and global classroom exchanges are helping learners see the interconnectedness of knowledge. Watching a live rocket launch at ISRO, or collaborating virtually with peers abroad on climate change projects, ignites curiosity that textbooks alone cannot achieve.

The impact is visible in outcomes — students are stepping into roles as youth ambassadors, climate action advocates, and published authors. These achievements reflect an ecosystem designed not just for academic rigour but for engagement, relevance, and holistic growth.

Preparing students for a future shaped by AI, digital literacy, and real-world problem-solving is critical. How are schools approaching this responsibility?

The education sector acknowledges that preparing students to be future-ready is no longer optional. With AI and automation reshaping industries, adaptability, creativity, and ethical reasoning are the most sought-after traits.

Schools are encouraging student-led explorations where technology is used to solve real-world challenges. Projects linked to the Sustainable Development Goals bring together learners from across the globe to design solutions for pressing issues. In local contexts, students have identified gaps like lack of clean drinking water in villages, researched solutions, mobilised communities, and even fundraised for water purifiers.

Such experiences underscore a vital truth: being future-ready is not about mastering a tool, but about cultivating a mindset that embraces innovation, empathy, and purposeful action.

Building next-generation schools often requires bold experimentation and strategic partnerships. What innovations are leading the way?

Schools that are shaping the future are those that experiment while staying deeply attuned to evolving student needs. Data-driven decision-making is now guiding lesson planning and student support. Partnerships with global institutions ensure that practices are benchmarked against the best.

Beyond academics, enrichment in arts, sports, and music — often curated with top-tier providers — is integral to shaping well-rounded learners. Technology, from augmented reality to scientific simulations, is bringing abstract concepts alive.

At the same time, innovative in-house programmes focus on emotional well-being and mentorship, such as pairing senior and junior students to foster belonging, or embedding daily reflective writing to nurture introspection. Many schools are explicitly teaching “Habits of Mind” — persistence, flexibility, and managing impulsivity — equipping students with cognitive tools to navigate complexity.

The results are compelling: students winning national-level sporting medals, securing Guinness World Records in mathematics, or emerging as changemakers in their communities. These stories reflect how innovation and partnerships are translating into tangible impact.

From an industry-wide perspective, what does success in education truly mean?

Success is increasingly being defined not by marks or degrees alone, but by the kind of citizens education produces. It is measured when learners emerge as compassionate, critical thinkers capable of ethical reasoning and resilience.

Industry leaders emphasise that true education must nurture empathy and creativity — qualities no machine can replicate. The story of a student who, despite academic challenges, mobilised her community for a clean-up drive is as significant as a top rank in an exam. These lived examples remind educators that success lies not in what students know, but in who they become.

What challenges remain in delivering future-forward education at scale?

One of the most pressing challenges is shifting societal mindsets. Parents and communities often equate success with report cards, ranks, and traditional careers, making it difficult for schools to introduce unconventional pathways such as entrepreneurship, creative arts, or social impact roles.

Another challenge is equipping teachers with new-age pedagogies without compromising academic rigour. Delivering innovation consistently across classrooms requires constant training, mentoring, and collaboration. Differentiated instruction — catering to learners at different levels and styles — is essential but resource-intensive.

Many schools are responding with hybrid learning models, flexible assessments, and inclusive practices to ensure no learner is left behind. But scaling such practices demands persistence, empathy, and a willingness to challenge long-held norms.

Finally, what is the collective vision for the future of school education in India?

The vision articulated by education leaders converges on one word: purpose. Schools must evolve from examination centres to ecosystems of curiosity, compassion, and contribution. Academic rigour must co-exist with emotional intelligence, and success must be defined not just by marks, but by meaning.

Three shifts are considered foundational:

1. Curriculum to consciousness — embedding ethics, sustainability, AI fluency, financial literacy, and global citizenship into the core curriculum.
2. Teachers as nation-builders — investing in educators’ empowerment, purpose, and digital fluency to amplify student outcomes.
3. Assessment reforms — moving away from rote memorisation toward reflective problem-solving and application.

With the world’s largest population of school-going children, India has a unique opportunity. If even half of these learners are ignited with a sense of purpose and possibility, the impact could ripple far beyond classrooms — shaping not just the future of education, but the future of the nation itself.