Dalai Lama launches Ekya School’s book on inquiry-based education

At a time when student stress, mental health concerns, and exam-driven schooling are increasingly under the spotlight, His Holiness the Dalai Lama launched ‘15 Learnings in 15 Years of Ekya: How We Built Schools,’ alongside Dr. K.C. Ramamurthy, IPS( Retd), Former MP, Rajya Sabha, Chairman, CMR Group of Institutions,Chairman of the Ekya Board of Governors and Dr. Tristha Ramamurthy, Founder, Ekya Schools and Provost, CMR University, a book that reflects on Ekya Schools’ fifteen-year journey of reimagining how children learn.

The book traces Ekya’s gradual move away from recall-based teaching towards deeper conceptual understanding, critical thinking, and authentic assessment, closely aligned with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Drawing on classroom stories and institutional reflections, it presents school transformation as a journey marked by learning, resistance, and continuous reflection rather than a one-time reform.

Ekya’s philosophy is built on the belief that education should engage both the mind and the heart. This approach took form through its ACE Framework; Aware, Compassionate, Engaged which guides curriculum design, teaching practices, assessment, and school culture. Rather than treating values as add-ons, the school integrates awareness, empathy, and responsible action into daily classroom experiences, making it one of the early schools in India to adopt these ideas at a system-wide level.