NDTV's LearnNXT Conclave has offically begun, bringing together India's top education voices, policymakers, and global academia leaders for a day-long discussion on the future of learning. The conclave will spotlight the National Education Policy, global classrooms, entrepreneurship, future-ready skills and India's vision for Viksit Bharat 2047. From foundational learning to the workforce of tomorrow, join the conversation shaping the next era of education.
Beyond The Blackboard: Reimagining Learning
In our first session today, Rouble Nagi, recipient of the Global Teacher Prize 2026, shared with the audience how she used the innovative ‘Living Walls of Learning' concept to turn underserved communities and neighborhoods into interactive textbooks, bringing one million children back into the mainstream through the power of visual literacy.
Nagi showed us the power of a single individual transforming an abandoned wall. But how do we replicate that individual passion across thousands of villages? And since we cannot have a 'Viksit Bharat' without rural education, what is it going to take to get there? Stay tuned for more.
Enrollment, Transition From Primary To Secondary Level
Meet our speakers discussing enrollment, transition from primary to secondary level, girls' education, sanitation, and more.
- Neeru Yadav, Sarpanch, Lambi Ahir Gram Panchayat, Jhunjunu, Rajasthan
- Shridhar Venkat, CEO, The Akshaya Patra Foundation
- Tinni Sawhney, CEO, Aga Khan Foundation
- Samyukta Subramanian, Program Head, Pratham Education Foundation
The Formative Years Of Childhood
In our session on 'The Early Years - What is the Need of the Hour?', Deepika Mogilishetty, EkStep Foundation, said that "we do not have a choice", all other things will become insignificant if we do not pay attention to the first eight years of childhood. The National Education Policy of India is asking us to look at the first eight years as a continuum of learning, she added.
"We should invest in the first eight years of childhood as if our life depended on it, because it does," she asserted.
"Entrepreneurship Is Taking Centre Stage"
Speaking during the conclave, Deepak Bagla, Mission Director of Atal Innovation Mission at NITI Aayog, spoke about the qualities that have helped Indian CEOs emerge as global leaders and highlighted the need for education systems to adapt to a rapidly changing world.
NDTV LearnNXT Conclave 2026 LIVE: Stay Tuned For Live Updates
LearnNXT Conclave 2026 LIVE: Phase "Where Everything Is Possible, But Nothing Is Certain"
"This is the first time in human history that we are entering into a phase which is unprecedented without a play book. Entering into a phase of life where everything is possible, but nothing is certain,"siad Deepak Bagla, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog Government of India.
LearnNXT Conclave 2026 LIVE: “Entrepreneurship Is Taking Centre Stage”
Deepak Bagla, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog Government of India, on the theme 'Viksit Bharat 2047: Is the Future of Indian Education Entrepreneurship?' said that the entrepreneurship is taking the centre stage.
“Today India is number three in the world in terms of unicorns, number two in startups and number one in adding new startups every day,” he said.
“We have over 1.1 crore young entrepreneurs who have moved through Atal Tinkering Labs,” he added.
He further stated that the AI has done complete democratisation of knowledge.
LearnNXT Conclave 2026 LIVE: “This Generation Is Filled With Anxiety,” Says Deepak Bagla
Deepak Bagla, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog Government of India, discusses on the theme 'Viksit Bharat 2047: Is the Future of Indian Education Entrepreneurship?'
"We are entering a phase of life where everything is possible, but nothing is certain.,” he said.
“The biggest strengths of the Indian education system are the ability to get a job done and the ability to work without a playbook in completely uncharted territory,” he added.
LearnNXT Conclave 2026 LIVE: Panel On Emotional Safety, Students' Confidence
Sumitra Mishra, CEO, Mobile Creche answers what concretely needs to happen in the first three years in a child's life for them to enter the academic space confidently. She said, the science has proven that the earliest years have the highest potential for best returns.
LearnNXT Conclave 2026 LIVE: Dr Rukmini Banerji Discusses 'Learning Deficiencies'
Dr Rukmini Banerji, CEO, Pratham, says the preschool is a difficult transition. How ready a child is? Children come from varied experiences. Learning and education come later. In the first five years, there is a varied crowd of students. These children are a part of the foundation stage. At this stage, students can progress at various skills, social and cognitive.
"The Balvatikas and Angadvadis under the NEP 2020 is ready for that", she added.
LearnNXT Conclave 2026 LIVE: Anganwadi Is India’s ‘Secret Superpower,’ Says Rocket Learning Co-Founder
Highlighting the importance of early childhood development, Siddhant Sachdeva, Co-Founder of Rocket Learning, said solving challenges related to foundational learning requires collective efforts from the entire community. He described Anganwadis as a key part of the solution and said the organisation works closely with Anganwadi workers to bring “joy in the teaching-learning process”.
“We genuinely believe that Anganwadi is India’s secret superpower,” he said, noting that the country’s nearly 14 lakh Anganwadi centres represent a rare community-driven implementation model that very few countries in the Global South possess.
LearnNXT Conclave 2026 LIVE: "Invest In The First 8 Years Of Childhood As If Our Life Depended On It, Because It Does"
Deepika Mogilishetty, EkStep Foundation, said that "we do not have a choice", all other things will become insignificant if we do not pay attention to the first eight years of childhood. The National Education Policy of India is asking us to look at the first eight years as a continuum of learning, she added.
"We should invest in the first eight years of childhood as if our life depended on it, because it does," she asserted.
NDTV LearnNXT Conclave 2026 LIVE: The Learning In The First Formative Years
Deepika Mogilishetty, EkStep Foundation, answers why the formative years are so important.
NDTV LearnNXT Conclave 2026 LIVE: Children Going To Pre School Now Will Grow Up In A World Transformed By AI
Dealing a very crucial conversation of the time, where children going to pre school now will grow up in a world transformed by Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation, and constant tech disruptions, listen to our speakers discussing the early stages of learning for a child.
NDTV LearnNXT Conclave 2026 LIVE: The Early Years, What Is The Need Of The Hour?
Before a child ever encounters a formal curriculum, their cognitive trajectory is decided in the very first years. What is the need of the hour when it comes to early childhood care and education. Knowing the massive technological and structural shifts that lie ahead, how can we give our youngest the best possible start to a lifetime of learning? Discussing this, meet our panel:
- Deepika Mogilishetty, EkStep Foundation
- Siddhant Sachdeva , Co-Founder, Rocket Learning
- Sumitra Mishra, CEO, Mobile Creche
- Dr Rukmini Banerji, CEO, Pratham
NDTV LearnNXT Conclave 2026 LIVE: Is Access Equal To Learning?
Samyukta Subramanian, Program Head, Pratham Education Foundation shares today's reality that more than 95 per cent children are enrolled in schools. She talks about infrastructure, development and RTE.
NDTV LearnNXT Conclave 2026 LIVE: Akshaya Patra Foundation CEO Shares His 'Big Cheque' Experience
Responding to a question on the impact of nourishment and ways to reduce dropout rates, Venkat shared an emotional anecdote from a workshop organised by a US-based information security company. He recalled that after the session, the company’s CSR head introduced him to a young woman named Suma, calling it a “bigger surprise than a big cheque”.
“She told me that she was an orphan and had received meals from The Akshaya Patra Foundation at her orphanage for nearly 10 years,” Venkat said.
“There are several such examples where nutrition and access to education have transformed lives, especially for girls,” he said.
NDTV Learnnxt Conclave LIVE 2026: Shridhar Venkat On Nutrition, Education, And Sanitation
“Nutrition and access to education have the power to transform lives, especially for girl children. Educating a girl child can transform generations. A collective focus on nutrition, education, sanitation and hygiene can bring meaningful change to the country,” said Shridhar Venkat.
NDTV Learnnxt Conclave LIVE 2026: Sarpanch Neeru Yadav Talks Of Basic Education, Book-Free Learning
From power of one to the power of the community, Neeru Yadav, Sarpanch, Lambi Ahir Gram Panchayat, Jhunjunu, Rajasthan, said education is the only medium that can change your circumstances. She aims of basic education for all her village children. She also talked about book-free learning for children.
NDTV Learnnxt Conclave LIVE 2026: Do Rural Parents See Education As An Investment?
Upon being asked if rural parents see sending their kids to school as an investment and do priorities change when its about survival, Tinni Sawhney, CEO, Aga Khan Foundation, said every parent want their child to be successful. She added that the enrollment in schools have increased over the last few years, its important that we now focus on quality, learning, and parental engagement in schools.
NDTV Learnnxt Conclave LIVE 2026: Talks On Enrollment Number, Transition From Primary To Secondary Level
Meet our next set of speakers discussing enrollment, dropouts, transition from primary to secondary levels, and bringing the rural into the mainstream.
- Neeru Yadav, Sarpanch, Lambi Ahir Gram Panchayat, Jhunjunu, Rajasthan
- Shridhar Venkat, CEO, The Akshaya Patra Foundation
- Tinni Sawhney, CEO, Aga Khan Foundation
- Samyukta Subramanian, Program Head, Pratham Education Foundation
NDTV Learnnxt Conclave LIVE 2026: 'The Black Painting' Of The Quietest Kid
Trying to understand a painting by a kid that resembled a black colour on the entire page with a small grey box in the middle, Nagi asked the child what it meant. The kid shared his experience of his step father locking him in the room when his mother goes out to work. The child also expressed his desire to wear a collared uniform and go to school.
NDTV Learnnxt Conclave LIVE 2026: 'Have You Met A Child Who Has Never Seen A Pencil?'
Nagi shares her encounter with a six year old kid who had never seen a pencil.
NDTV Learnnxt Conclave 2026 LIVE: How Nagi Answered Slum People Questioning 'Padhna Kyu Hai?'
Nagi shares her experience of people questioning her why do they need to send their children to school. Check her ground report from Kashmir and other places.
NDTV Education Conclave LIVE: Nagi Painted Slum Walls With Mathematics, History Lessons
Nagi painted slum walls with Mathematics, History lessons, and learnings. She used the innovative ‘Living Walls of Learning’ concept to turn underserved communities and neighborhoods into interactive textbooks, bringing one million children back into the mainstream through the power of visual literacy.
NDTV LearnNXT Conclave LIVE: Rouble Nagi Making India A Better Living Space, Exploring The Power Of Art
"Being an artist, you don't sleep," says Nagi. She beautified the walls and living spaces of underprivileged communities and slums through her art. "I love children. I am happiest when I am surrounded by them, she added.
NDTV LearnNXT Conclave LIVE: Meet Rouble Nagi, Recipient Of Global Teacher Prize 2026
Know how Rouble Nagi, the recipient of the Global Teacher Prize 2026, used the innovative ‘Living Walls of Learning' concept to turn underserved communities and neighborhoods into interactive textbooks, bringing one million children back into the mainstream through the power of visual literacy.
NDTV LearnNXT Conclave LIVE: NDTV'S 2026 Education Conclave To Kick Off In A few Minutes
NDTV is bringing together India's top education voices, policymakers, and global academia leaders for a day-long discussion on the future of learning.
