Purposeful Learning with meaning and direction
A Message of Inspiration
On the Launch of The
PATH Movement for Transforming Education
My warm congratulations to Dr. Sunita Gandhi and her team at the Global Education and Training Institute (GETI). The PATH Movement for transforming education is being launched at this roundtable.
India's National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 rightly emphasizes moving from teaching to learning, from memorization to understanding, and from passive listening to active participation.
Dr. Sunita Gandhi and GETI have demonstrated that these are not just ideas but practical realities that can be implemented across schools of every size and type.
Shri Rajnath Singh
Hon. Defence Minister of India, Former Minister of Education, UPEvent Overview
Ed Leadership 2025: When Education Becomes PATH — A New Era Begins Lucknow, India | November 26‐29, 2025
City Montessori School, Lucknow, is set to host the 16th Ed Leadership International Roundtable — India’s largest and most influential education leadership conference. This year’s event marks a transformative moment in the way we think about learning, teaching, and the future of education. With a bold new theme centered around the ALfA PATH model, the conference promises to be a global learning lab where innovation meets impact.
A New Vision for Learning: The ALfA PATH Model
At the heart of Ed Leadership 2025 is the ALfA PATH Model, a revolutionary approach to teaching and learning that’s changing classrooms across India. Developed over 2 Decades of research, ALfA (Accelerating Learning for All) enables children to learn three times faster than traditional methods — and with far greater joy and confidence.
Children using ALfA learn to read in both English and their mother tongue, grasp second-grade math concepts, and complete year-long curricula in half the time — all without pressure or rote memorization. The model is currently implemented in over 10,000 schools, with Memorandums of Understanding signed with 35,000 more. Harvard-certified results show that ALfA significantly boosts creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and confidence in students, while making teaching more effective and enjoyable for educators.
The PATH Movement: Purposeful, Active, Transformative, Holistic
Launched in September 2025, the PATH Movement is a nationwide initiative to reimagine education. PATH stands for:
- Purposeful ‐ Learning that is meaningful and relevant
- Active ‐ Engaging students through participation and discovery
- Transformative ‐ Fostering deep understanding and personal growth
- Holistic ‐ Nurturing the mind, body, and spirit
This movement is not just a program — it’s a philosophy that places the child at the center of the learning experience. It aligns closely with India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and aims to make education joyful, inclusive, and future-ready.
Dr. Sunita Gandhi: The Visionary Behind the Movement
Leading this transformation is Dr. Sunita Gandhi, founder of the ALfA and PATH initiatives and the Global Education & Training Institute (GETI). With experience studying education systems in over 50 countries, Dr. Gandhi has dedicated her life to making learning more inclusive, impactful, and joyful.
Her philosophy is simple yet powerful:
“Every child can learn — if we change the way we teach.”
Under her leadership, thousands of schools and educators have embraced the ALfA PATH model, making India a global hub for educational innovation.
Rajnath Singh’s Endorsement: “Education Must Be PATH”
Adding national momentum to the movement, India’s Defence Minister and former Education Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Rajnath Singh, delivered a compelling video address in support of the PATH Movement. In his speech, he emphasized the urgent need for a fundamental shift in education, aligned with the vision of NEP 2020.
He outlined the PATH framework and stressed the importance of building 4C skills in students:
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Creativity
His endorsement reinforces the relevance and urgency of transforming education to meet the demands of the 21st century.
More Than a Conference — A Global Learning Lab
Ed Leadership 2025 is not just a conference — it’s a hands-on experience. Attendees will witness live ALfA classrooms, participate in interactive townhalls and D-Talks, and explore scalable teacher training models. The event also features initiatives like Global Dream, a breakthrough in adult literacy that enables reading in just 2‐3 months.
Whether you’re a teacher, principal, policymaker, or changemaker, Ed Leadership 2025 offers a unique opportunity to engage with cutting-edge educational practices and be part of a movement that’s shaping the future of learning.
Join the Movement. Be the Change.
Ed Leadership 2025 invites educators, leaders, and visionaries to come together and co-create the future of education. With the ALfA PATH model leading the way, this event is a celebration of possibility, purpose, and progress.
27-29 NOVEMBER 2025
16th Ed Leadership International Roundtable
India’s
Largest FLN Fair
Conference
Theme:
Socio-Emotional Learning in the Age of Al
A Platform for Vision, Dialogue, and Action
When transformation is the need of the hour and the best is not enough.
The purpose of the Ed Leadership International Roundtable is simple but urgent, to bring together the people who shape education, and to shift the conversation from problems to solutions.
It’s not another academic conference.
It’s a working space for school leaders, educators, policymakers, and innovators to:
- See what’s working, in real classrooms, with real students.
- Engage deeply with a path and a pedagogy that is transforming outcomes at speed and scale.
- Reflect together on how we can align practice with policy, from NEP 2020 to SDG 4.
- Return empowered to lead system wide change in your own schools, districts, and states.
Dr. Sunita Gandhi
Convenor, Ed Leadership
Educator, Researcher, Innovator, Author
This is why Ed Leadership matters
Even in well resourced private schools, not all children excel, results are slipping, and teachers are stressed rushing to finish the syllabus.
Globally, almost three quarters of children in low and middle-income countries cannot read and understand text by age 10.
- No learning recovery plan will work without rethinking pedagogy.
- No foundational literacy mission will succeed without changing how children learn.
- And no school, public or private, can afford to wait.
How is the class dynamic changing?
Learn from the changemakers.
Welcome to Ed Leadership
Ed Leadership is more than a conference. It is a meeting of minds and hearts, a gathering of the nation's leading educators and policymakers for an action oriented discussion. We want you to be a part.
Experience classrooms implementing remarkable
Talk with educators leading the transformation
Experience India’s Largest FLN & ECCE Fair
Learn from research & evidence from India and around the world
Explore Certification Opportunities for school leaders and educators
Join a National & Global Peer Network of change makers
Who Should Attend?
If you're shaping how children learn, this Roundtable is for you!
School Principals & Academic Heads
Founders, Directors, and Trust Leaders
Government Education Leaders
NGO, CSR, and Foundation Leaders
Master Trainers and Trainers
Teacher Education & Curriculum Experts
A maximum of three leaders from each institution may attend.
Tentative Schedule
| 27 November | Day 1 | 28 November | Day 2 | 29 November | Day 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8-9AM | Breakfast & Registration | ||
| 9AM-1PM |
|
|
|
| 1-2PM | Lunch | ||
| 2-3PM | Ex tempore presentations | Ex tempore presentations |
Fellowships & Awards:
|
| 3-4PM | Breakout rooms | Breakout rooms | |
| 4-6PM | Networking / Exploring Displays | ||
| 6-8PM | Group Dance Followed by Dinner (Auditorium) | Dinner & Kawali | |
Catering Notes
- Morning tea will be served in the hall at 11 am.
- Lunch will be held in the basement directly under the auditorium. Lunch is provided for all participants.
- Breakfast and dinner is for guests staying on campus. It will be served in the CISV guesthouse dining hall.
- Please bring your own water bottle every day to avoid use of disposable cups.
Parallel Sessions
Room
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Theme: STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Maths)
Shoji Shibha Hall
Aliganj 1
Jopling Road
RDSO
Theme: SEL (Socio-Emotional Learning)
Donal Dewar Hall
Aliganj 2
Chowk
Rajajipuram 1
Theme: Inclusivity & Equity
David Hutchins Hall
Anand Nagar
Golf City
Rajajipuram 2
Theme: Teachers as Galvanisers
Ataturk Hall
Ayodhya Road
Indira Nagar 1
Rajendra Nagar 2
Theme: Involving Parents in the Learning Process
Deming Hall
Station Road
Indira Nagar 2
Shalimar OneWorld
Theme: ALfA Pedagogy Glimpses Across Different Grades
Main Auditorium
CIS Jaipur & Barabanki Montessori & Nursery
CMS GN 2 Grade 3
CIS Manas City Grades 4-8
An Opportunity to Join the
PATH Movement for Transforming Education
When change cannot be postponed.
PATH
The Canvas | WHAT & WHY?
Active hands-on, minds-on engagement
Transformative From teaching to learning
Holistic Nurturing head, heart, and spirit
ALfA
The Brush & Paint | HOW?
Learn Faster & Better Cover a year’s course in half the time
Engage fully Joyful, hands-on learning
Collaborate naturally Mainstream peer learning
Understand deeply Comprehension over rote
Empower Teachers Resources to teach effectively
Delight Parents Visible Progress every day
Accelerating Learning For All
A Pedagogy of the Future, Today
In only three years, the ALfA pedagogy and programs have grown from 20 schools to MOUs for more than 35,000 schools, with 10,000 actively implementing change across government, budget-private, and elite schools, including City Montessori School, Lucknow
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Maldives
Uttar Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Peru
Training of Trainers
Join Us in the Lounge:
Learn How to Become a PATH Ambassador of Change!
- Catalyze lasting change in your school, region and beyond.
- Lead change in your region through dynamic PATH ALfA workshops and empower schools to create powerful learning experiences.
- Transform as a PATH Trainer. Learn how to drive change in education and inspire teachers and leaders with the innovative ALfA teaching-learning approach that underpins PATH.
PATH Trainer Accreditation Levels
CopperBeginning the journey
BronzeGrowing skill and confidence
SilverStrong roots in practice
GoldInfluencing many others, research-driven
EMPOWERMENT
Gain insights from research and trends in FLN, ECCE, and quality education.
Innovative Pedagogy
Experience cutting-edge methods and their impact on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Networking
Connect with leaders, school heads, teachers, and researchers.
Recognition
Share successes, earn certificates - including Ambassador of Change - and grow professionally.
Resources & Strategies
Access curricula, books, assessments, and teacher training tools.
Partnerships
Build MOUs and collaborations to advance education in your context.
EMPOWERMENT
Observe new educational practices.
Witness cutting-edge pedagogy.
Learn from best-practice policies around the country and beyond.
NETWORKING & RECOGNITION
Engage in discussions with government, heads and teachers.
Build global educational networks.
ACTIONS & MOUs
Enroll teachers in online training.
Start a 45-day research pilot of the Rapid Results Initiative.
Takeaway resources for implementation.
Sign MOUs for collaborations.
Research
Review new pedagogy and its impact on learning, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Study the scalability and sustainability of innovative practices.
Research alternative approaches to the empowerment of teachers.
NETWORKING & RECOGNITION
Foster collaborations for FLN & ECCE research and advancement.
Share your research and receive recognition.
Meet like-minded researchers from global institutions.
MOUs & PARTNERSHIPS
Reach agreements for advancing FLN & ECCE, K12 education research in different country contexts.
Do a case study of PATH x ALfA in Indian private and government schools in India, Africa, Latin America and other countries.
Get recognized.
EMPOWERMENT
Understand the needs, data, and gaps in Foundational Literacy & Numeracy and Quality Education (SDG4).
Learn about solutions and their ROI.
NETWORKING & RECOGNITION
Network with other CSR heads.
Discover international trends in philanthropy.
Share successes and receive certificates.
MOUs & PARTNERSHIPS
Sign MOUs to collaborate on ready-made projects with governments and NGOs.
Make a large-scale, visible impact.
Get recognized.
EMPOWERMENT
Gain insights into global research and trends in FLN, ECCE and quality education.
Learn about the latest pedagogy and its impact on learning, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Learn directly from school heads and teachers implementing change.
NETWORKING & RECOGNITION
Foster collaborations with peers.
Share your successes and receive recognition.
MOUs & PARTNERSHIPS
Form agreements to advance education in your context.
Explore assessment methods for measuring impact and progress.
Access new curriculum, books, and strategies for teacher empowerment.
Governments: Implement 45-day FLN Scale Up & Embed
Making children NIPUN with ALfA takes just 45 days.
We invite governments to launch their 45-day Foundational Literacy & Numeracy (FLN) research implementation under our Rapid Results Initiative (RRI).
- Stage 1 begins with a research pilot.
- Stage 2 scales up based on the confidence and results from Stage 1.
- Stage 3 embeds the ALfA pedagogy into the state curriculum for lasting transformation.
In just 45 working days, children can achieve foundational literacy and numeracy — at 10 times the usual speed.
This swift and effective FLN program has helped us grow from 20 to 35,000 schools in three years across several states. ALfA is the fastest growing FLN program in India.
1
Select 4+4 schools randomly (4 intervention & 4 non-intervention)
2
Conduct baseline test at all 8 schools (paper provided)
3
Get your teachers and officials trained (online/offline)
4
Implement ALfA FLN for 45 days (toolkits provided)
5
Conduct an end-line test at all 8 schools (paper provided)
6
Scale-up district or statewide
Join India’s Largest FLN & ECCE Fair
Global Ed Innovator Fellowships & Awards
Each year, Ed Leadership proudly awards over 100 well-deserved fellowships and awards, fully complimentary, determined by an independent jury. This year, fellowships will be awarded to those individuals who wish to implement PATH ALfA, and awards will be given to those schools that have demonstrated impact supported by data and evidence.
INTERNATIONAL JURY
An independent jury will make the selections based on transparent criteria to award between 100 to 200 Fellowships this year depending upon the quality of the submissions.
FELLOWSHIPS
All PATH Fellows are expected to carry out their ideas for change post selection, and to gather evidence of their implementation on a regular basis in an e-portfolio. Evidence includes photos, videos, slide presentations, surveys, pre-and post- intervention data (quantitative, anecdotal and qualitative).
All PATH Fellows with evidence will automatically qualify for the Global Ed Innovator Awards.
REAL CHANGE
TRANSPARENT CRITERION
INTERNATIONAL JURY
Global RRIs Case Studies
ALfA FLN toolkits are available in 33 languages, including Arabic, Chishona, Dari, English, French, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili, Twi, Yoruba, and many Indian languages covering a vast proportion of the world's population. They can be easily replicated. Partnerships with governments, NGOs, and international organizations can drive large-scale adoptions following the RRIs.
GhanaOlinga Foundation / Associates for Change
Implementation in 6 schools with 2 as control. 30 days later, in the midline test, the proportion of Grade 4 & 5 students reading at the highest level almost doubled from 22% to 41%.
INDIAVarious District & State Governments
Implementation in stages across 17,000 schools in 4 states. In UP, India's most populous state, schools and districts implementing ALfA performed 2-3x better on the government's NIPUN Assessment Test, which measures FLN competencies.
MaldivesMinistry of Education, UNICEF
Test scores in ALfA schools improved 7 percentage points in English and 11 percentage points in Maths – nearly double the rate of improvement compared to reference group schools.
Climate Consciousness
Education needs to address the climate crises in new and creative ways, for example, reduce carbon footprint by saving millions of tons of paper and ink wasted each year in printed textbooks and workbooks. Learners also need to become climate actors.
Climate Consciousness
Children avoid plastic and learn to recycle, reduce, and reuse materials. They learn about use of sustainable materials like beans, shells and leaves for hands-on activities.
Climate Action
Climate action is integrated in the activities. Further, the learners enact role plays and read stories that inspire climate action, such as through the eyes of The Magical World of Tara, 45 stories of climate change from across the world, meeting young climate actors and those making a difference.
Harvard Graduate School of
Education
HARVARD ON ALfA FLN
Harvard Graduate School of Education, USA
Policy Pathways for Improving Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in Uttar Pradesh, India
CHAPTER 8 in a book by Prof. Fernando Reimers & team at HGSE: Rebuilding Resilient Education Systems After the COVID-19 Pandemic, Published March 2023. Below are some extracts from the chapter:
Accelerated Learning for All (ALfA), helps children quickly gain FLN competencies. The pedagogical approach works as follows: students start with known words in the form of pictures, identify the sounds, and work backward to the letters.
The effect size* of the project was 0.23 for Grade 3 students and 0.89 for Grade 5… the results suggest there is significant value in pursuing the ALfA model in other schools if implemented in a coherent, structured, and coordinated manner.
Students in the intervention groups had much higher ORF [oral reading fluency] levels than those in the reference group. For Grades 4-5, 50% of the intervention group students were able to read the passage at >90 words per minute (WPM) compared to 20% of reference group students.
PUBLICATIONS & MEDIA
A Groundbreaking Pedagogy
ACCELERATING LEARNING for ALL
Both a classroom guide for teachers and an implementation roadmap for policymakers, this book explores a transformative approach to teaching and learning. Sprinkled with anecdotes from teachers, principals & students, Accelerating Learning for All (ALfA) inspires and equips us to build a better education system.
ALfA breaks the shackles of the industrial education system, revolutionizing the school experience through peer learning and hands-on activities. The ALfA program enables children to learn foundational literacy and numeracy in months rather than years. Beyond these, ALfA is a holistic education that builds the crucial life skills of collaboration, creativity, citizenship and character.
“All students should be able to learn to read quickly so that they can maximize their academic potential and ALfA does that.”
Jon Corippo Founder, EduProtocols, USA"This book provide some insightful and unique ideas about creating a pedagogy of possibility. It will undoubtedly create the conditions for a better world.”
Prof. Sigamoney Naicker University of the Western Cape, South Africa
DISRUPTIVE LITERACY
A Roadmap for Urgent Action
Foundational literacy and numeracy are crucial to every person’s well-being. A nation’s literacy rate is a key predictor of its social and economic progress. Yet the world still has hundreds of millions of children in school but not learning the basics. Why?
Drawing from remarkable examples of movements around the world, and sprinkled with stories from the authors’ grassroots educational work in the Global Dream Accelerating Learning for All (ALfA) program, Disruptive Literacy is an easy-to-read but hard-to-ignore manifesto that will touch your heart and inspire you to action.
“A much-needed manifesto for achieving large scale transformation of the global literacy crisis.”
Ernesto SchiefelbeinFormer Minister of Education, Chile"A must read for policymakers and all those associated with the campaign against illiteracy."
Anil SwarupFormer Secretary of Education, IndiaEd Leadership Conferences
2008
Hands-on
Learning
2009
Creating conversations that lead to meaningful change
2010
Come let’s
shape a new
education
2011
Metamorphosis in education
2012
Creating high performance education systems
2013
When the best is not enough
2014
Come let’s shape a new education
2015
Imagine learning
2016
Creating a child-centric education
2017
Creating Spaces for Change
2018
Well-being & Happiness in Education
2019
A Stress Free Education
2021
The Power of Change inspiring the teacher within
2024
Foundations
to Flight
Stories of Change from Countries Around the World
We are passionate about partnering with governments, NGOs and schools around the world to be help expand quality education for all.
Global Advisory Committee
We thank our advisory committee for their expert guidance and motivation.
Aïcha Bah DialloGuinea
Founding Member of FAWE
Alesha AndersonUSA
Senior Program Officer at Pro-Literacy Worldwide
Alexandre RomanovskyUSA
Advisor to companies dedicated to the United Nations
Bill GrahamUSA
Vice Chair, NGO Committee for Education, Learning & Literacy at the United Nations in New York
David J. RosenUSA
Director, Adult Literacy Resource Institute, University of Massachusetts
David BovillUK
Partnerships Manager, DEIP
Ernesto SchifelbeinChile
Chilean Pedagogue, Professor, Economist & Politician
Fred MednickUSA
Founder, Teacher Without Borders
Chetnaa MehrotraIndia
Founder, Applied Theatre Organisation (Rangbhumi)
Chris MacraeUSA
Head of Talent, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at GlaxoSmithKline
Cindy CharlesGuyana
Kupanda Sisters Inc. Founder & CEO
Inger-Mette StensethNorway
Founder, World Climate School
Gail Davvis-CarterUSA
UN ECOSOC Representative, UN Partner and Social Entrepreneur
Girish MenonUK
CEO, STIR Education
Joanne Telser FrereUSA
Director, Program Development
Jon M CorippoUSA
Author, Eduprotocols
Kyle ZimmerUSA
Author, Eduprotocols
Mary McCool BerryUSA
Founder, Read Keys
Michael MatosUSA
Education Technology Director, ScaleLIT
Navneet AnandIndia
Director, GreyMatters Communications & Consulting
Nicolas GravelFrance
Professor of Economics, Aix-Marseille University
Nixon JosephIndia
CEO, Children's LoveCastles Trust
Peter CamplingUSA
Global Programmes Director
Peter Kwasi KodjieGhana
Secretary-General All Africa Students Union
Rana DajaniJordan
President, We Love Reading
Ravi SreedharanIndia
Founder & President, Indian School of Development Management
Rebecca ZvomarimaZimbabwe
Founding Director, Vadiwa Trust Organization
Richard AllenUSA
Director of Partnerships, VOYCE
Robert ThornTurkey
Director, Developing Real Learners & Academy of Learner Development
Samuel Sasu AdontengGhana
Programmes Officer for Tertiary Education, AASU
Sigamoney NaickerSouth Africa
Professor, University of the Western Cape
Sigbjorn DugalNorway
Founder, Pickatale
Stephen PetersUSA
President, The Peters Group
Sylvia GuimarãesBrazil
Co-founder & President, Vaga Lume
Vicky ColbertColombia
Founder and Director, Escuela Nueva Foundation
A Call to Action
GOVERNMENTS
Conduct research implementations and scale system-wide evidence-based pedagogy of ALfA.
SCHOOLs
Join the PATH movement. Adopt groundbreaking pedagogy of ALfA. Encourage students to teach a family member or neighbours how to read.
RESEARCHERS
Research, publish, and inform leaders so evidence-based ideas can improve education everywhere.
NGOs
Put ALfA into action and expand it in their own regions and situations.
CORPORATE
Support governments and budget private schools to improve learning for every child.
Support studies on alternative education methods to discover what works best at the lowest cost.
HOST City Montessori School, Lucknow Largest School in the World
Founded in 1959 in Lucknow, India, City Montessori School (CMS) began with five students and $10 in borrowed capital. Today, it enrolls 64,000 children and is recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest school on earth. Committed to equity, excellence, and peace, CMS won the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education in 2002. Its motto, “Jai Jagat!” reflects its mission for world unity, and it annually convenes Chief Justices from around the globe to protect the rights of the world’s 2 billion children.
World’s Largest School Recipient UNESCO Prize for Peace Education
Come Witness a Moment of Change in Education
One Movement
One Mission
Shared Vision
Leadership has always meant guiding change. Today, education needs more than small adjustments. It calls for a bold, complete rethink.
We believe that rethink is here.
It’s called PATH: Purposeful, Active, Transformative, Holistic education.
Driven by the ALfA Pedagogy (Accelerating Learning for All), PATH is already reshaping over 10,000 schools across India, from government and low-budget private schools to elite institutions, including the world’s largest, City Montessori School, Lucknow.
PATH transformation leads to:
- Faster Learning. Deeper Understanding. Every Child.
- Confident Communication. Clear Expression. Every Voice.
- Well-being. Empathy. Social-Emotional Growth.
- Happier Parents. Empowered Teachers. Stronger Schools.