By Regila Marinus
Role: Co-founder at Vidhya Vidhai Foundation
India

Education has always been a subject of discourse among great leaders. From Mahatma Gandhi to today’s nation-builders, we often hear about their vision for education, what it means to them and, consequently, how their ideology shapes national expectations of educational success. But here lies the fundamental question: What is the perfect education system? When even this remains undefined, every system leader, educators, policymakers, and advocates, interprets education in their own way, driving efforts accordingly. My own understanding of education has been shaped through years of debates, learnings, and reflections.

At Vidhya Vidhai Foundation, we have always believed that education exists for the child, and therefore, it should be centered around children. Our work has consistently revolved around placing children at the core of solution design and decision-making. Last year, we came across the concept of Humanity-Centered Design+ (HCD+) introduced by Don Norman. This wasn’t just a new term for us, it became both a reflective space and a validation of the approach we had instinctively adopted.

For years, we spoke about child-centric education, believing that placing children at the core of learning was enough. However, through experience and with a constant nudge from Don Norman’s philosophy we paused to reflect. His emphasis on Humanity over Human and Centered over Centric was a  revelation. We realized that child-centric education often treats children as passive recipients of interventions, whereas child-centered education actively involves them as co-creators of their own learning journey.

This shift in perspective transformed the way we designed our programs. Earlier, we focused on solving problems within schools with children’s growth in mind. But now, we listen more deeply. Instead of assuming what works best for students, we co-create solutions that increase student agency. The result?
Schools are no longer just sites of learning but spaces of co-creation, innovation, and empowerment.

Let me take you to a school in Tamil Nadu, where I witnessed the principles of HCD+ in action. It was that time of the year when the school had to finalize its uniform design and vendor for the upcoming academic session. During a staff meeting, the school leader gathered opinions and shortlisted a few designs, most of which resembled the traditional styles – trousers and shirts for boys, skirts and shirts for girls.

We happened to be present in that meeting. Just our presence created a pause in the conversation. The school leader reflected aloud, “Wait! What do our students want?”

This single question changed the course of the discussion. After speaking with students, the school learned that many girls wanted the freedom to play all sports without the discomfort of skirts restricting their movement. One group of girls voiced, “We want to play freely, just like the boys. We don’t want to worry about our skirts flying up. We want to play all sports, not just badminton.”

The school listened. The students’ voices shaped the decision, and eventually, the school opted for a common uniform for all students: one that enabled equal participation in play and movement.

This is what HCD+ looks like in action. It is about making decisions that truly center the experiences and needs of students rather than merely following tradition or convenience.

Zooming out from an individual school, we see a larger education ecosystem that makes daily decisions shaping a child’s experiences.

1. HCD+ encourages us to design education that fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and a sense of empowerment, enabling every child to shape their own life rather than merely preparing them to survive in the world.
2. Instead of focusing on short-term achievements like test scores, pass percentages, or standardized benchmarks, it is essential to prioritize innovation in schools, contextually relevant solutions that address real challenges, and the development of students’ adaptability,
   leadership, and confidence.
3. System leaders should emphasize creating meaningful learning experiences over simply improving operational efficiency. Rather than a top-down approach, HCD+ advocates for co-creating solutions, policies, and interventions in collaboration with communities, ensuring education is inclusive, relevant, and impactful.