Five years on: Centre for civil society hosts webinar on NEP chapter 8, policy, practice, and School Governance

The Centre for Civil Society, a non-profit think tank that advances social change through public policy, hosted the webinar to unpack India's school governance architecture and how it can be transformed to reflect the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020's vision of decentralisation, functional clarity, and institutional autonomy.

- TDG NETWORK

July 31, 2025,

The webinar was moderated by Dr. Amit Chandra, CEO, Centre for Civil Society. The panellists included: Mr. Gurucharan Das, public intellectual and author, Mr. Kapil Khurana, Central Square Foundation, Prof. Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, University College London, Dr. Leena Chandran Wadia, The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology, Prof. Pranati Panda, National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration.

Dr. Chandra began the session by anchoring the discussion in chapter 8 of NEP, underscoring the reforms in both style and functions of educational governance. Mr. Gurucharan Das delivered a philosophically and morally centered keynote address, noting that "governance must serve the child, not the system". He traced the evolution of educational governance in India, emphasizing the moral purpose of schooling, the imperative of autonomy and accountability in governance, and need for reduced state control while ensuring equity.