Guv calls for renaissance in school education

Governor Jishnu Dev Varma called for a renaissance in school education, one which is rooted in India’s civilisational ethos and responsive to global change.

“Reimagine education the Indian way by blending knowledge with wisdom, technology with values, and innovation with compassion,” he said at the inaugural of the three-day annual conference of the Council of Boards of School Education (COBSE) on Wednesday.

The 54th edition of the conference, themed on ‘Future of School Education – Opportunities and Challenges’, saw the participation of over 70 school boards from across India and abroad, including representatives from Cambridge International and International Baccalaureate (IB).

Mr. Varma urged the educators and policy-makers to “shape a value-driven education system that harmonises technology with timeless human principles”.

“A school is not merely a place of learning; it is the cradle of our nation’s tomorrow. There is a need to decolonise and reorient education around India’s cultural foundations,” he noted, while calling for a deeper moral vision. “Guidance must come from the Indian value system - my root should be there; otherwise, I will be homeless,” he added.

Secretary (Education) Yogita Rana stressed on the importance of human leadership in educational reform and said that policy alone cannot transform education; this would be done by people who believe in its promise and act.

While noting the need for a balance between modernisation and moral grounding, she observed that empowering an enlightened generation can happen when teachers, administrators, and policy-makers collaborate.

COBSE president and CISCE chairman G. Immanuel said that the Council’s aim was to transform school education by fostering collaboration among boards, share innovations and create research-backed policies.

Presentations and discussions included: Transforming systems for educational quality by Joseph Emmanuel and Bhawna Taragi from CISCE; Academic and assessment frameworks in Telangana by Board of Intermediate Education Secretary Krishna Aditya S; Standard setting and quality assurance in Indian schools by Pranati Panda of NIEPA; best practices in educational recognition, policy formulation, and pedagogy from international frameworks such as Cambridge International and International Baccalaureate.