Bengaluru

In a context where concerns around student stress, mental well-being and exam-centric education are drawing growing attention, His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Tuesday released ‘15 Learnings in 15 Years of Ekya: How We Built Schools’, a book chronicling Ekya Schools’ 15-year journey of rethinking schooling in India.

The book was launched in the presence of Dr K C Ramamurthy, IPS (Retd), former Rajya Sabha MP and Chairman of the CMR Group of Institutions as well as Chairman of the Ekya Board of Governors, and Dr Tristha Ramamurthy, Founder of Ekya Schools and Provost of CMR University.

Documenting Ekya’s evolution since its inception, the publication highlights the institution’s gradual shift away from rote learning and exam-focused instruction towards deeper conceptual understanding, critical thinking and meaningful assessment. The approach closely aligns with the principles outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Through classroom narratives and institutional reflections, the book presents school transformation as a continuous process marked by experimentation, resistance and learning, rather than a single reform-driven change.

At the heart of Ekya’s educational philosophy is the belief that learning must engage both intellect and emotion. This belief is reflected in its ACE Framework — Aware, Compassionate and Engaged — which shapes curriculum design, pedagogy, assessment practices and school culture. Instead of treating values education as a separate component, Ekya integrates awareness, empathy and responsible action into everyday classroom experiences, positioning it among the early adopters of such a system-wide approach in India.

Founded in 2010, Ekya Schools emerged from a fundamental question: what if schools placed less emphasis on marks and memorisation and more on nurturing thoughtful, self-aware and compassionate learners? Over the years, this guiding question has shaped a school model that places inquiry, student well-being and meaning-making at the core of daily learning.

About Ekya Schools

Ekya Schools is a progressive K–12 private school group headquartered in Bengaluru, established in 2010 with a focus on helping students understand not just what to learn, but how to learn. The name “Ekya”, derived from the Sanskrit word Aikyam, meaning oneness, reflects the school’s emphasis on collaboration, community and individual growth.

Part of the CMR Group of Institutions, Ekya benefits from an educational legacy spanning over three decades. The broader CMR ecosystem caters to more than 20,000 learners, offering programmes from Montessori education to doctoral studies.

Ekya currently operates five campuses in Bengaluru — ITPL, JP Nagar, BTM Layout, Byrathi and NICE Road — along with two purpose-driven schools, Ekya Nava and Ekya Vana. The group offers multiple curricula, including CBSE, ICSE and Cambridge IGCSE, and plans to expand its national footprint over the next three years.

The schools follow an in-house curriculum informed by global research and international best practices, with a strong emphasis on inquiry-led learning, conceptual clarity and authentic assessment. Ekya also prioritises educator development through ongoing professional learning, supported by its Professional Development Institute (PDI).