DJ Academy of Design (DJAD), Coimbatore, hosted EDUFORGE 2026 – Educators' Innovation and Leadership Summit, bringing together 40 participants representing 25 schools from Coimbatore and neighbouring towns.
The one-day summit provided a platform for school heads, teachers and academicians to exchange ideas, explore emerging educational practices and discuss the transformative potential of technology in teaching and learning.
The programme commenced with a welcome address by Prof. Raja M, Head of Academics, DJAD, who emphasised the importance of continuous professional development and upskilling among educators in an increasingly technology-driven environment. He highlighted the need to embrace emerging technologies, innovative pedagogical approaches and interdisciplinary thinking to create meaningful learning experiences for students. Prof. Vydianathan R, Dean, DJAD, shared the institution's vision and mission and highlighted its commitment to nurturing creative thinkers and contributing to society through design education.
Dr. Dinesh Babu, Chairperson, Department of Visual Media & Communication, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi, was the distinguished guest and resource person. He shared his perspectives on the evolving educational landscape and the role of innovation and emerging technologies in shaping the future of learning.
The summit focused on three key themes — Artificial Intelligence in Education, Immersive Technologies and Future-Ready Pedagogy. Expert-led sessions, demonstrations and interactive engagements enabled participants to explore how emerging technologies could enrich classroom experiences, foster creative thinking and support student-centred learning.
As part of the campus tour, the participants visited an exhibition of student works featuring creative projects, design explorations and innovative works by DJAD students. The exhibition offered educators an insight into the academy's interdisciplinary and experiential approach to design education.Faculty members and staff contributed to the organisation of the summit.
EDUFORGE 2026 reaffirmed DJAD's commitment to engaging with the wider educational community. The academy, which offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in design, aims to develop EDUFORGE as a sustained platform for knowledge exchange, professional development and collaborative exploration among educators. The initiative seeks to encourage educators to embrace emerging possibilities in education and contribute to shaping the future of learning.