International collaboration between Anant National University and the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education hosts ICERM 2025, aiming to create indigenous research projects within India.
Anant National University and the University of Pennsylvania Collaborate to Elevate Indigenous Knowledge in Education
Anant National University, based in India, is making strides in education research and policy with its latest initiative, the Indigenous Consciousness Methodology Education Research Project (ICER). This project, set to launch in the academic year 2025-2026, is a collaborative effort with the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE).
The ICER project aims to advance Indigenous Consciousness research methodologies in education, focusing on honoring local indigenous knowledge systems, prioritizing community-engaged practices, and fostering sustainable, equitable educational frameworks that are culturally responsive and locally grounded.
The project aligns closely with India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which advocates for preserving and promoting indigenous knowledge within inclusive education systems. The initiative was formally initiated through a convening hosted by Anant National University in collaboration with Penn GSE in July 2025.
Key objectives and features of ICER include honoring local indigenous knowledge systems, community-engaged approaches, sustainable and equitable education frameworks, and policy influence. The project is expected to have a significant impact on education policy in India by centering Indigenous perspectives in the design and development of impactful learning models.
Anant National University’s partnership with Penn GSE is part of a larger collaborative international effort to innovate educational research and practice grounded in Indigenous Consciousness methodologies. The institutions have previously collaborated on initiatives such as The Future of Learning Collaborative in 2023, which led to the launch of an influential White Paper advocating for a redesign of the global education system.
Dr Leland S McGee, Adjunct Assistant Professor at Penn GSE and Senior Associate Director of the GSE Office of Student Success, emphasized the importance of indigenous knowledge systems in education and their potential to improve learning models for future generations. Dr Sanjeev Vidyarthi, Provost of Anant National University, opened the convening, stating that Anant values indigenous knowledge as an integral part of its design pedagogy.
The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE) actively partners with schools, universities, and communities around the world to improve educational access and equity. Penn GSE administers a competitive global engagement grant program to support a broad range of research, teaching, service, and engagement activities globally and in specific focus countries and regions.
Anant National University, recognized as the Centre of Excellence by the Government of Gujarat, is committed to providing world-class education, innovative pedagogy, high employability, and enhanced entrepreneurial and research opportunities. The university's multidisciplinary programs in design, architecture, climate action, and visual arts are designed to train designers to become solutionaries - revolutionary thinkers with a solution-oriented mindset.
The Indigenous Consciousness Education Research Methodology Convening (ICERM) was held on 25-26 July 2025 at the Anant campus, bringing together leading scholars, education policy experts, and practitioners to explore Indigenous Consciousness research methodologies and lay the foundation for ICER. Dr Diti Vyas, Associate Professor at the School of Creative Practices and Entrepreneurship (SCoPE), Anant National University, highlighted the convening’s focus on interrogating, exposing, and undoing the dangers and desires of colonization in education through indigenous consciousness.
As ICER moves forward, it promises to be a pioneering research project to elevate Indigenous knowledge in education research and policy, contributing toward more inclusive and culturally responsive education systems in India.
- The Indigenous Consciousness Methodology Education Research Project (ICER), a collaboration between Anant National University and the University of Pennsylvania, is focused on honoring local indigenous knowledge systems as part of its mission to advance Indigenous Consciousness research in education.
- The ICER project aligns with India’s National Education Policy 2020, which advocates for preserving and promoting indigenous knowledge within inclusive education systems.
- The university's multidisciplinary programs in design, architecture, climate action, and visual arts at Anant National University are designed to train designers to become solutionaries, a revolutionary mindset that emphasizes solution-oriented thinking.
- The initiative to centering Indigenous perspectives in the design and development of impactful learning models, as demonstrated by ICER's work, has the potential to significantly impact education policy in India.
- The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education actively partners with global institutions to improve educational access and equity, including administering a competitive global engagement grant program to support research, teaching, service, and engagement activities around the world.
