British Council and NCERT host five-day South-South Learning Symposium in New Delhi

• A five-day convening of l education leaders to advance collaboration on evidence based school education reforms
• The event will advance South-South collaboration on foundational education and introduce new evidence on multilingual education through the MultiEd (India) report
• Senior leaders including Alison Barrett MBE will join delegations from Africa, South Asia, and global institutions

New Delhi, 06 May 2026: The British Council, in partnership with the National Council of Educational Research and Training, is hosting the South-South Learning Symposium till 8 May 2026 in New Delhi, bringing together senior education leaders, policymakers, and practitioners from across Africa and South Asia.

The five-day symposium will serve as a platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange on school education reforms, drawing on India’s experience in foundational learning, multilingual education, assessment systems, curriculum reform, and digital public infrastructure. Delegations from countries including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Nepal are participating alongside Indian stakeholders and global partners.
Secretary School Education, Government of India, Shri Sanjay Kumar and Director, NCERT Professor Dinesh Prasad Sakalani, Joint Director, NCERT Professor Prakash Chandra Agarwal and senior members of faculty from NCERT would participate and share the school education initiatives in India.

Representatives from leading global and national institutions including the British Council, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Association for the Development of Education in Africa, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Learning Generation Initiative, UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and What Works Hub for Global Education –come together for the five-day symposium, setting the stage for rich dialogue, shared learning, and deeper global collaboration on education reform.

The symposium will feature policy dialogues, technical deep dives, and field immersion visits to schools and early childhood centres in Delhi and Haryana, offering delegates insights into how education reforms are implemented on the ground. Participants will also engage with India’s digital public goods for education, including platforms such as DIKSHA and national data systems. A key highlight of the symposium will be the launch of the MultiEd (India) report, developed in collaboration with the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Press & Assessment, presenting new evidence on structured multilingual pedagogy and its role in improving learning outcomes.

Alison Barrett MBE, Country Director India, British Council, said: “Strong education systems are built through collaboration, evidence, and a clear focus on improving learning outcomes for every child. Our partnership with NCERT reflects a shared commitment to advancing India’s vision under the National Education Policy 2020 by supporting reforms that are inclusive, scalable, and grounded in classroom realities. At the British Council, we connect governments, researchers, and practitioners to bridge policy and practice – combining deep local insight with a global network to support meaningful, system-wide education reform.”

Professor Dinesh Prasad Saklani, Director, NCERT in his remarks drew the attention of the group to the processes involved in the making of the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education in India. He further added how dharma, the righteous way of living as the core of human life for which education is an instrument to reach the goal rooted in Indian culture and ethos. He further mentioned that the Symposium reflects the value of strong institutional partnerships, and our collaboration with the British Council has enabled a meaningful exchange of global and national perspectives on education reform. It provided an important platform to reflect on India’s progress under the National Education Policy 2020, particularly in strengthening foundational learning, multilingual education, and the use of data in decision-making. Bringing together policymakers, practitioners, and experts from across regions has helped deepen our understanding of how reforms can be effectively implemented at scale, while remaining responsive to diverse classroom contexts.”
Prof. P.C. Agarwal, Joint Director, NCERT in his remarks, mentioned how NCERT works to support the school systems and schools to enhance the quality of education through various initiatives. Global South would need to work together fo the mutual sharing and learning to benefit teachers and learners at the ground.

The symposium aims to strengthen long-term South-South partnerships, enabling countries to share experiences, identify scalable solutions, and advance collective efforts to improve learning outcomes.