India Education Congress Awards CONFERENCE AGENDA

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National Education, Employability & EdTech Summit 2026

Theme: From Learning to Livelihood – Building a Future-Ready Education Ecosystem

5^th February 2026

09:00 – 09:30 AM

Registration

10:10 – 10:20 AM

Opening Remarks

10:20 – 10:40 AM

Inaugural Keynote: The Future of Education: Preparing Learners for an Unpredictable World

Reimagining education for a skills-driven, AI-enabled future
Balancing foundational learning with future competencies
Integrating policy vision with innovation and investment

10:40 – 11:30 AM

Panel 1 : Schools as Launchpads: Future-Ready Learners and Employability Skills

How schools can nurture critical thinking, adaptability, and foundational competencies.

Shifting focus from rote learning to skill-based education
Integrating employability skills and entrepreneurship early
Teacher training, mentorship, and ecosystem support
Partnerships with industry and edtech for curriculum enrichment

Speaker:

Harish Sanduja

Director of Schools, Seth MR Jaipuria Group

Dominic Tomalin

Principal Director, Shrewsburrry International School, India

Bharati Sharma

Sr. Director, GD Goenka Group

Swati Popat Vats

President, Podar Education network

Amol Arora

Director, Shemrock Group of Schools

11:30 – 11:50 AM

Keynote : From Campus to Unicorns: Unlocking India’s Entrepreneurial Potential through Education

How entrepreneurial education transforms students into job creators
Success stories of university-incubated ventures
The next frontier: Deep tech, climate tech, and global entrepreneurship opportunities

Speaker:

Dr. Anil Sahasrabudhe

Chairman, NAAC, Ex-Chairman, AICTE

11:50 AM – 12:30 PM

Panel 3 : Curriculum for Employability: Redesigning Learning for Real World Outcomes

Making education relevant to 21st-century skills and workplace demands.

Embedding digital, financial, and socio-emotional skills
Role of vocational training and apprenticeships in school years
Role of vocational training and apprenticeships in school years
Policy interventions to support future-oriented curriculum reform

Speaker:

Dr. Biswajit Saha

Professor and Director, Skill Education, CBSE

Dr. Amarendra Behera

Joint Director, CIET, NCERT

12:30 – 1:10 PM

Panel 4 : Nurturing Entrepreneurs: Building Start up Culture in Universities

Embedding innovation and start up thinking in campuses.

Incubation, mentorship, and funding models within universities
Entrepreneurial curricula and experiential learning
Policy enablers and success stories from India & abroad
Industry partnerships to scale campus start ups
Apprenticeships, co-ops, and project-based partnerships
Academia-industry co-development of emerging skill modules
Government incentives for collaborative talent development

Speaker:

Prof. Deepu Philip

Professor In Charge, Innovation, IIT-Kanpur

Dr. Balvinder Shukla

VC, Amity University, NOIDA

Prof. Prakash Gopalan

President, NIIT University

Nimay Kalyani

Campus Director India, University of Wollongong (Australia)

1:10 – 2:10 PM

Networking Lunch

2:10 – 2:30 PM

Keynote : Global Workforce Trends and the New Skills Economy

Turning learning into livelihood through structured pathways.

Mega shifts shaping employment in the AI and automation era
The rising role of lifelong learning and micro-credentials
Where India fits into the global skills landscape

2:30 – 3:20 PM

Upskilling, Reskilling & Lifelong Learning in the AI Era

How continuous learning is becoming the cornerstone of employability.

Models for lifelong learning ecosystems
The rise of micro-credentials and modular education
Corporate-led reskilling partnerships
Policy innovations to support adult learning
The new digital baseline for every graduate
Teaching AI literacy, data thinking, and computational skills
Role of edtech in scaling digital skill delivery
Credentialing and assessment of future skills

Speaker:

Febin MF

Head, L&T EduTech Business

Praveen Kumar Rajbhar

Founder and CEO, Skilling You

Dr. Vinnie Jauhari

Head, Education, Microsoft Elevate

Tarun Anand

Vice Chancellor, Universal Ai University

Arpit Mittal

Co-founder & CEO, SpeakX.AI

3:20 – 3:40 PM

From Policy to Practice: Building a National EdTech Ecosystem

Role of NEP 2020, Digital India, and other national initiatives in shaping the EdTech landscape.
Building capacity in schools and universities to adopt and integrate digital technologies.
Personalizing learning journeys, improving retention, and enhancing outcomes at scale.
Creating a policy environment that protects learners while encouraging start up innovation.
Collaborative models that bring together government, academia, and industry to scale solutions.
Frameworks to ensure responsible and ethical use of AI and learner data.

3:40 – 4:30 PM

Panel 6 : Reimagining Classrooms and Empowering Educators: Pedagogy, Personalisation and Immersive Learning

This session explores how technology is transforming learning experiences from preschool to secondary education - blending pedagogy with innovation to deliver personalised, inclusive, and engaging education.

Using digital tools in preschool and early years to build cognitive, socio-emotional, and foundational literacy skills.
Evolution of digital classrooms - from basic digitisation to immersive, interactive learning platforms.
Adaptive learning systems that personalise instruction, close learning gaps, and support differentiated teaching.

Speaker:

Devika Nadig

Co-founder and Director, Shikshangan

Prateek Shukla

Co-founder and CEO, Masai

4:30 – 5:10 PM

Panel 7 : Beyond Degrees: EdTech for Skills, Employability & the Future Workforce

How digital platforms are redefining employability and skills development.
The rise of stackable learning pathways aligned with industry needs.
How companies and platforms are co-creating workforce-ready talent pipelines.
Using EdTech to bridge the gap between higher education and job readiness.
Showcasing disruptive models and technologies solving India’s skilling challenge.
Lessons from international workforce EdTech ecosystems.

Speaker:

Akshay Chaturvedi

CEO, Leverage Edu

Vivek Agarwal

Co-founder and CEO, Liqvid e-Learning Services

5:10 – 5:30 PM

Closing Plenary : The Future of Work in the AI Economy: Redefining Education, Employment & Human Potential

A forward-looking dialogue on the next decade of work and learning

10:10 – 10:50 AM

Keynote : Global Workforce Trends and the New Skills Economy

Mega shifts shaping employment in the AI and automation era
The rising role of lifelong learning and micro-credentials
Where India fits into the global skills landscape

10:50 – 11:40 AM

Panel 1 : Universities and Industry: Co-Creating Future-Ready Talent Pool

New models of collaboration for employability and innovation.

Industry-integrated curricula and experiential learning
Apprenticeships, co-ops, and project-based partnerships
Academia-industry co-development of emerging skill modules
Government incentives for collaborative talent development

11:40 AM – 12:30 PM

Panel 2 : Digital Literacy, AI Fluency and 21st Century Skills

Equipping learners for a technology-driven future.

The new digital baseline for every graduate
Teaching AI literacy, data thinking, and computational skills
Role of edtech in scaling digital skill delivery
Role of edtech in scaling digital skill delivery

Speaker:

Amrita Burman

Director
Sunbeam Schools

Vinay Maheshwari

Executive Chairman
New York Academy

Moderator :

Sharani Ponguru

Director
The Narayana Group

12:30 – 1:20 PM

Panel 3 : Nurturing Entrepreneurs: Building Start up Culture in Universities

Embedding innovation and start up thinking in campuses.

Incubation, mentorship, and funding models within universities
Entrepreneurial curricula and experiential learning
Policy enablers and success stories from India & abroad
Industry partnerships to scale campus start ups

1:20 – 2:20 PM

Networking Lunch

2:20 – 3:10 PM

Panel 4 : Upskilling, Reskilling & Lifelong Learning in the AI Era

How continuous learning is becoming the cornerstone of employability.

Models for lifelong learning ecosystems
The rise of micro-credentials and modular education
Corporate-led reskilling partnerships
Policy innovations to support adult learning

Speaker:

Vikrant Varshney

Managing Partner
SucSEED Indovation Ventures

Nikunj Doshi

Chief Business Officer
Propelld

Padmaja Ruparel

Co-Founder
Indian Angel Network

Ruchira Shukla

South Asia Regional Lead for Disruptive Technology Investments at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank Group

Moderator :

Ritu Marya

Editor-in Chief

3:10 – 4:00 PM

Panel 5 : Employers as Co-Creators: Shaping Higher Education Curricula for Industry

How companies can actively influence and benefit from curriculum design.

Embedding real-world projects and capstones
Future workforce planning and skills forecasting
Joint credentialing and certification pathways
Global case studies of academia-industry synergy

4:00 – 5:00 PM

Closing Plenary
The Future of Work in the AI Economy: Redefining Education, Employment & Human Potential

A forward-looking dialogue on the next decade of work and learning

Speaker:

Alok Bhimesh

Executive Director
Basil wood institute

Pritam Kumar Agrawal

Founder & Director
Hello Kids Chain of Preschools & Riverstone Schools

Tijay Gupta

Co-Founder & COO
Bachpan & AHPS group of schools

Amol Arora

Vice Chairman & Managing Director
SHEMROCK

Shalini Jaiswal

Director and COO
Maple Bear South Asia

Theme: Higher Education, Skills & Future of Work

5^th February 2026

10:30 – 11:20 AM

Panel 1 : Reimagining Classrooms: Pedagogy, Personalisation and Immersive Learning

Using digital tools in preschool and early years to build cognitive, socio-emotional, and foundational literacy skills.
Evolution of digital classrooms - from basic digitisation to immersive, interactive learning platforms.
Adaptive learning systems that personalise instruction, close learning gaps, and support differentiated teaching.

11:20 AM – 12:10 PM

Panel 2 : Empowering Educators: Inclusion, Access and Digital Equity

This roundtable shifts the lens to the people and systems behind edtech adoption — focusing on empowering teachers, bridging digital divides, and ensuring equitable access to quality learning for all.

How digital tools and AI can empower teachers, reduce workload, and enable them to focus on higher-order teaching.
Upskilling teachers to integrate technology meaningfully into their pedagogy.
Strategies to ensure equitable access — bridging rural-urban, socio-economic, gender, and disability gaps.
Connectivity, device access, and cost models for large-scale digital learning.
Scaling access through collaborative models involving government, edtech start ups, and CSR initiatives.
Metrics and feedback loops to evaluate the effectiveness of edtech in improving teaching and learning outcomes.

12:10 – 12:30 PM

Keynote : From Policy to Practice: Building a National EdTech Ecosystem

Role of NEP 2020, Digital India, and other national initiatives in shaping the EdTech landscape.
Building capacity in schools and universities to adopt and integrate digital technologies.
Personalizing learning journeys, improving retention, and enhancing outcomes at scale.
Creating a policy environment that protects learners while encouraging start up innovation.
Collaborative models that bring together government, academia, and industry to scale solutions.
Frameworks to ensure responsible and ethical use of AI and learner data.

12:30 – 1:10 PM

Panel 3 : Beyond Degrees: EdTech for Skills, Employability & the Future Workforce

How digital platforms are redefining employability and skills development.
The rise of stackable learning pathways aligned with industry needs.
How companies and platforms are co-creating workforce-ready talent pipelines.
Using EdTech to bridge the gap between higher education and job readiness.
Showcasing disruptive models and technologies solving India’s skilling challenge.
Showcasing disruptive models and technologies solving India’s skilling challenge.

1:10 – 2:10 PM

Networking Lunch

10:10 – 11:25 AM

Panel 1 : From Policy to Practice: Building a National EdTech Ecosystem

Role of NEP 2020, Digital India, and other national initiatives in shaping the EdTech landscape.
Building capacity in schools and universities to adopt and integrate digital technologies.
Personalizing learning journeys, improving retention, and enhancing outcomes at scale.
Creating a policy environment that protects learners while encouraging start up innovation.
Collaborative models that bring together government, academia, and industry to scale solutions.
Frameworks to ensure responsible and ethical use of AI and learner data.

Speaker:

Vikram R Singh

Founder & CEO
Antier

Hersh Shah

CEO, IRM
India Affiliate

11:25 AM – 12:40 PM

Panel 2 : Beyond Degrees: EdTech for Skills, Employability & the Future Workforce

How digital platforms are redefining employability and skills development.
The rise of stackable learning pathways aligned with industry needs.
The rise of stackable learning pathways aligned with industry needs.
Using EdTech to bridge the gap between higher education and job readiness.
Showcasing disruptive models and technologies solving India’s skilling challenge.
Lessons from international workforce EdTech ecosystems.

Speaker:

Vikram R Singh

Founder & CEO
Antier

Hersh Shah

CEO, IRM
India Affiliate