At the Excellence in Education 2026 conclave, organised by The Times of India (TOI) and Navbharat Times in association with Gravity on 21st February 2026 at Hyatt Regency, Lucknow, education leaders deliberated on strengthening classroom practice, digital literacy and competency-based learning.
Prof. Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, Manager, City Montessori School (CMS), served as a panellist and received a ‘Certificate of Excellence’ for CMS from Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Brajesh Pathak, recognising institutional leadership in academic quality and innovation.
In her remarks, Prof. Geeta emphasised that genuine classroom engagement must be intentional. Introducing topics that generate differing viewpoints encourages debate and ownership of ideas. “When children defend an idea, they own it — and that’s when true engagement begins,” she noted. She highlighted structured active-learning strategies such as the “third-pen” method, where peer correction reinforces understanding, and “think–pair–share”, which shifts classrooms from passive reception to participatory learning.
She underlined the need to scale project-based and experiential learning so that knowledge is applied rather than memorised. Learning, she argued, must move beyond theoretical preparation for examinations to meaningful application that builds confidence and conceptual clarity.
Aligning with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Prof. Geeta stressed outcome-based education anchored in problem-solving skills and deep conceptual understanding. She noted that competency-based approaches better prepare students for higher education and future work environments by focusing on mastery rather than rote recall.
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On digital literacy, she addressed both risks and opportunities. City Montessori School, Lucknow recently conducted a full randomised trial across seven campuses to evaluate the impact of Google Gemini’s guided AI tutor on mathematics learning among Grade 8 and 9 students. The study found that AI-supported learning enhanced student agency. In large classrooms, where only a few students typically ask questions, AI tools enable learners to ask unlimited questions privately and without hesitation. Students reported increased independence and confidence in clarifying doubts at their own pace.
Prof. Kingdon concluded that with clear pedagogic intent, structured active-learning strategies and responsible integration of technology, schools can strengthen engagement, improve outcomes and make learning purposeful. The Excellence in Education 2026 conclave reaffirmed a shared commitment among educators to competency-driven, technology-enabled and student-centred schooling in line with national reform priorities.
The recognition at Excellence in Education 2026 reinforces CMS’s position as one of the top schools in India shaping the future of education through vision, research and practice. By integrating innovative pedagogy, competency-based learning, and responsible use of technology with the mission of nurturing global citizens, guided by the motto of ‘Jai Jagat’, City Montessori School, Lucknow remains dedicated to preparing students not only for academic success but for an evolving world.