August 2022 marked a significant milestone for Nalanda Academy — the beginning of our 10th Foundation Course batch. This year, 200 students from 16 states across India joined us, bringing with them a remarkable diversity of backgrounds, languages, and stories.
A Fresh Chapter Begins
Nalanda’s seating capacity is 150. Yet the determination of those who applied made it impossible to turn eager learners away. We stretched our resources to ensure every student who came with a genuine aspiration found a place in the programme.
This batch, perhaps more than any before it, reflects what Nalanda has always stood for — that the right to quality education cannot be limited by geography, caste, or circumstance.
Orientation Workshop: Breaking Barriers
The orientation workshop held on 5th August 2022 was more than an introduction to the Academy. Students who had never spoken about their fears or dreams in a formal setting found themselves doing exactly that — sharing deeply personal stories about where they came from, what they hoped for, and what had held them back.
These moments are not incidental to Nalanda’s work. They are at the heart of it. Education here begins not with textbooks but with the recognition that every student arrives carrying a life that deserves to be seen and supported.
Looking Ahead
As the 2022-23 year unfolds, Nalanda’s curriculum — built around academic preparation, language and communication, critical thinking, and peer learning — will give these students the tools they need for the entrance examinations and university life ahead.
More than that, it will give them the confidence to believe they belong in the spaces they are preparing to enter.
