Teaching Note: Implementing KHEL: a stakeholder management challenge in India’s public school reform

In May 2024, Rajnish Kumar, a senior bureaucrat (director) in the Ministry of Education, Government of India, is scheduled to present a proposal introducing Knowledge through Hands-on Experiential Learning (KHEL) – a toy-based pedagogy, in India’s public schools. This proposal seeks to implement an innovative recommendation in the country’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to make learning experiential, learner-centred and enjoyable. However, in the Indian context, earlier efforts to change teaching pedagogy have not succeeded primarily due to stakeholder resistance. Given this background, Kumar must prepare a comprehensive and innovative plan to manage stakeholders.

Kumar is likely to face three...