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 & Dr. Tristha Ramamurthy, Founder, Ekya Schools & Provost, CMR University, a book that reflects on Ekya Schools’ fifteen-year journey of reimagining how children learn.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama launched 15 Learnings in 15 Years of Ekya alongside Dr. K.C. Ramamurthy and Dr. Tristha Ramamurthy
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.
Founded in 2010, Ekya Schools began with a simple but powerful question: what if schools focused less on marks and memorisation, and more on helping children grow into thoughtful, self-aware, and compassionate individuals? Over the years, this question shaped an evolving school model that places inquiry, well-being, and meaning making at the centre of everyday learning.
About Ekya Schools
Ekya Schools is a progressive K–12 private school group based in Bengaluru, India, established in 2010 with a focus on helping students learn not only what to learn, but how to learn. The name “Ekya,” derived from the Sanskrit word Aikyam meaning oneness, reflects the school’s emphasis on community, collaboration, and individual growth.Part of the CMR Group of Institutions, Ekya draws on an educational legacy of over three decades, with the wider CMR ecosystem serving more than 20,000 learners across levels ranging from Montessori to doctoral programmes.
Ekya operates five campuses in Bengaluru;ITPL, JP Nagar, BTM Layout, Byrathi & NICE Road along with an additional purpose-based school, Ekya Nava & Vana. Across its campuses, Ekya offers multiple curricula, including CBSE, ICSE, and Cambridge IGCSE. The school is expanding their presence nationally in the next three years.
The schools follow an in-house curriculum informed by research and international best practices, emphasising conceptual understanding, inquiry-led learning, and authentic assessment. Ekya also places strong emphasis on educator development through continuous professional learning supported by its Professional Development Institute (PDI).
