As 2025 comes to a close, India’s school education ecosystem stands shaped by deep, systemic transformation. Over the year, schools moved beyond incremental reforms towards more meaningful change in pedagogy, assessment, leadership and student well-being. Guided by the National Education Policy in everyday implementation, educators worked to balance innovation with stability, technology with human connection, and academic rigour with empathy.
To capture these reflections at the close of the year, ETEducation reached out to leading voices in school education, inviting them to look back at the shifts that defined 2025, the reforms likely to have lasting impact, and the challenges schools navigated as policy intent translated into classroom practice. Their perspectives offer a grounded year-ender view of how Indian schooling evolved over the year and what these changes signal for the road ahead.
Q What were the most significant shifts in India’s school education ecosystem in 2025, and how did schools adapt their teaching, assessment, and leadership practices in response?Reflecting on this question, Dr Sheela Menon, Principal, Ambassador School, Dubai, UAE notes a clear shift away from content-heavy instruction towards competency-based and student-centred learning. Schools are increasingly aligning classroom practices with the NEP vision through experiential learning, interdisciplinary projects and flexible curricular pathways. Technology, particularly AI-enabled tools, has begun supporting differentiated instruction and formative assessment rather than replacing teachers. Assessments are steadily moving towards skills-based, ongoing evaluation focused on reflection and application. Leadership, she adds, is also evolving, with principals acting as instructional leaders using data to guide interventions, investing in teacher upskilling and fostering collaborative professional cultures. Overall, schools are transitioning from compliance-driven systems to reflective, adaptive ecosystems centred on learner growth and well-being.Offering a complementary perspective, Untak Goel, Founder and Managing Director, Fortune World School, Noida, describes 2025 as a progressive shift rooted in India’s educational heritage. He likens the move towards competency-based, experiential learning under NEP 2020 to the gurukul tradition, where students learned by doing and through peer guidance. At Fortune World School, this has translated into redesigned lesson plans that encourage inquiry, critical thinking and real-world application. Assessment models now include project-based evaluations and continuous feedback, while leadership teams work closely with teachers through regular training and mentoring – strengthening learner engagement and fostering a holistic, student-centric environment.For Sunitha Nambiar, CEO, Manav Rachna International Schools, 2025 marks a decisive shift from compliance-driven schooling to purpose-led education. She highlights the deeper operationalisation of NEP 2020, particularly competency-based learning, experiential pedagogy and flexibility in subject choices. At MRIS, this has meant moving beyond syllabus completion to designing learning experiences that emphasise critical thinking, collaboration and application. Assessment practices now include rubrics, portfolios, reflections and project-based evaluations alongside traditional exams. Leadership has moved closer to classrooms, focusing on mentoring, coaching and well-being, while technology has emerged as an enabler – supporting blended learning, personalised interventions and data-informed decisions.
Adding another dimension, Saurabh Sehgal, Director, Sapphire International School, Noida, points to a cultural shift in how schools view artificial intelligence. Earlier apprehensions have given way to acceptance and thoughtful adoption. With AI introduced as a subject by CBSE and plans for wider rollout, schools are integrating AI tools for personalised learning, adaptive assessments and multilingual support – while keeping human connection, judgment and teacher agency firmly at the centre.
Q Looking ahead, which reforms or innovations introduced in 2025 are likely to have the most lasting impact on learning outcomes and school readiness in the coming years?
Responding to this, Dr Sheela Menon identifies competency-based assessment, teacher capacity building and personalised education as reforms with enduring impact. Moving away from exam-centric performance towards deep learning, she believes, will better prepare students for higher education, work and life. Technology-enabled personalised learning allows teachers to address diverse needs more effectively, while continuous professional development reinforces the idea of teachers as lifelong learners. Leadership autonomy and school-based decision-making under NEP implementation, she adds, will shape long-term readiness if executed in its true spirit.
Echoing this optimism, Untak Goel points to the combination of competency-based assessments and blended learning models as particularly impactful. Personalised learning pathways supported by digital tools are enabling educators to address diverse learner needs, while a stronger emphasis on life skills, sports, arts and value-based education is reinforcing holistic development. At Fortune World School, structured sports programmes, experiential learning and career guidance have strengthened student confidence and future readiness. Teacher professional development initiatives introduced in 2025, he believes, will continue to yield long-term benefits.
Sunitha Nambiar highlights interdisciplinary learning and the growing recognition that learning outcomes are defined not by marks alone, but by a child’s ability to think, communicate and adapt. At MRIS, studio-based learning, real-world problem-solving and integrated STEAM experiences have strengthened conceptual understanding and learner confidence. Teacher upskilling in formative assessment and inquiry-led pedagogy, along with a stronger focus on student agency and voice, are reforms she sees as critical for life beyond school.
Drawing attention to another enduring shift, Saurabh Sehgal speaks about the expanding role of Social-Emotional Learning. SEL, he notes, is no longer confined to standalone sessions but is embedded in everyday school life – from classroom interactions to conflict resolution. Through partnerships such as School Cinema, which uses film pedagogy to support SEL, mental well-being and life skills, schools are witnessing calmer classrooms, more confident learners and deeper teacher-student connections. When SEL becomes a way of being rather than an add-on, he believes, schools begin to truly transform.
Q What were the biggest challenges schools faced in 2025?
Addressing this, Dr Sheela Menon points to managing the pace of change as a key challenge. Adopting new pedagogies, technologies and assessment practices while ensuring teachers and students are not overwhelmed has required sustained support. Balancing academic expectations with student and teacher well-being remains another pressing concern, demanding thoughtful leadership and a strong focus on people over processes.
Untak Goel highlights the difficulty of managing rapid technological upgrades and evolving frameworks while maintaining academic rigour. Teachers have had to adapt quickly to new pedagogies and tools, often alongside increased administrative demands. Ensuring student well-being in a fast-paced, performance-driven environment has also been a concern, requiring conscious efforts to balance screen-based learning with meaningful human interaction.
For Sunitha Nambiar, managing change fatigue has emerged as a defining challenge. Schools are balancing new curricular expectations, evolving assessments and rising parent aspirations while investing heavily in teacher training and emotional well-being. Purposeful use of technology, addressing diverse learner needs, and ensuring teacher retention and well-being have all required sustained attention and continuous engagement with parents.
Saurabh Sehgal reiterates that supporting student well-being while meeting academic expectations has been one of the most pressing challenges. As awareness of mental and emotional health grows, schools are rethinking schedules, classroom practices and support systems. The key challenge, he notes, lies in building consistent and sustainable structures that support well-being without diluting academic focus reinforcing that emotional health and academic success are deeply interconnected.
A year that redefined schooling
Taken together, these reflections paint 2025 as a year that reshaped the fundamentals of schooling in India. It was a year when intent began translating into practice, when classrooms became more reflective, assessments more meaningful, and leadership more empathetic. As schools move into the next phase of reform and implementation, the insights from these leaders serve as a reminder that lasting transformation is built not just on policy, but on people, purpose and practice.
