Day 1: IPEC 2026 Begins at IIM-N

NAGPUR: The South Public School, Nagpur, inaugurated the ninth edition of the International Principals' Educational Conference, IPEC 2026, on October 22, at IIM Nagpur. The three-day conference is being held from October 22 to 24, with Principals and educational leaders from across India and abroad taking part.

IPEC was instituted in 2008 and has been organised eight times prior, with thought-provoking themes. According to the information provided by the school, it has emerged as a national platform for spearheading changes in educational policies through dialogue. The theme for this year's conference is Understanding WOW, The World of Wonderful Generations: Bridging Insights and Innovations.

Addressing the gathering, the organisers explained that schools are educating multiple generations at the same time, including students, teachers, parents and leaders from Gen X, Millennials and Gen Alpha. These diverse generations collectively form the World of Wonderful, or WOW Generations. The theme highlighted the need to connect the wisdom of the past with the innovations of the future, ensuring institutions remain rooted in enduring values while embracing meaningful change.

The inaugural function began with the garlanding of Goddess Saraswati, Bharat Ratna Late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the inspiration behind the conference, and Late Dinanathji Dasture, Founder of The South Public School and the guiding spirit behind the institution. The compere said, "A single lamp can dispel a thousand years of darkness."

The dais included Chief Guest Prof. Dr. Debashish Chatterjee, Director, IIM Kozhikode. The Guests of Honour were Padmashri Vasudeo Kamath, artist and alumnus of Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai, Karnail Singh Cheema, leader and institution builder, and Dr. Bhimraya Metri, Director, IIM Nagpur.

The Patrons of the conference, Devish Gala, President, Educational Books Division, Navneet Education, along with Advisory Committee members Prakash Somalwar, Neeru Kapai, Abha Meghe, Mukta Chatterjee, Dr. Razia Hussain, Reena Dargan, Dr. Mini Deshmukh, Dr. Rasika Dasture and Bharti Bijwe, were felicitated.

In her introductory remarks, Dr. Mrunalini Dasture, Principal, The South Public School and Convener, IPEC, traced the genesis of the conference and said that this edition aims to foster inclusive, relevant and future-ready learning environments.

The sub-themes for deliberation were Bridging Modern Learning Paradigms with Indian Traditions, Safeguarding Emotional Steadfastness for a Sustainable Society, From Achievement to Well-being: Redefining Success, Cyber Engagement, Digital Identity and Learning Patterns, Interpreting Cognitive, Emotional and Behavioural Trends, and Treating School as a Launch Pad of Lifelong Physical Well-being. According to the information provided by the school, a special acknowledgement was accorded to the Scrutiny Committee, Dr. Satish Sule, Girish Deodhar, Dr. Rajiv Mohta, Shashikant Chaudhary and Dr. Kanchan Naidu, for their evaluation of papers.

The highlight of the inaugural function was the conferment of the Sarvottam Nachiketa Puraskar, inspired by the story of Nachiketa, son of Rishi Uddalak. The award honours personalities who have left an indelible imprint in their field. The Puraskar was conferred upon Padmashri Vasudeo Kamath for his contribution to art, and upon Prof. Dr. Debashish Chatterjee for his leadership in management education. Citations were presented by Bhakti Bobde and Digvijay Dasture respectively.

Dr. Chatterjee delivered the first Keynote Address on "Bridging Modern Learning Paradigms with Indian Traditions for WOW Generations." An interactive session followed, in which delegates posed questions to the Chief Guest.

The formal function concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by Mangesh Chinewar, Vice Principal, The South Public School. The conference continued with paper presentations and deliberations by the participants.

Dr. Mala Palani, noted educationist and writer, delivered a keynote on Teaching the WOW Generation: Educating for Collaborative Intelligence. She emphasised that the future of education lies not in competitive intelligence but in collaborative intelligence, where students, teachers and technology co-create learning ecosystems.

Nihar Pandit presented a keynote on From Page to Prompt: Bridging Trusted Books and AI for the WOW Generation. He articulated how educators must bridge the credibility of trusted books with the power of Artificial Intelligence to nurture discerning and digitally fluent learners. This was followed by a brief talk and a film shown by Devish Gala, President, Educational Books Division, Navneet Education.

The keynote sessions were followed by paper presentations on the sub-themes by Principals and delegates from institutions across India. The presentations were based on action research, case studies and innovative best practices.

The day's programme concluded with the singing of the National Anthem. The valedictory ceremony is to be graced by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the Minister of State, School Education, Dr. Pankaj Bhoyar, Government of Maharashtra.