Participants at the international conference ‘Leading Together 2025’ at SPPU, Pune on December 18.
PUNE, DECEMBER 18 (MExN): Tetso College, in partnership with the University of Melbourne, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), Stella Maris College, Chennai, and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Guwahati, organised an international conference titled Leading Together 2025 at SPPU, Pune from December 17 to 18.
The conference, held under a consortium agreement among the five institutions, focused on “Reimagining SoTL for Inclusive and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy” and brought together educators, researchers and students from India and Australia.
Since its inception in 2021, Leading Together has evolved from a student-led initiative on leadership and the Sustainable Development Goals into an international academic forum addressing issues of equity, identity and belonging in higher education. The 2025 edition positioned the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) as an evidence-informed, transformative practice, examining whose knowledge systems and identities are reflected in curriculum design, assessment and learning processes.
The conference opened with a workshop on SoTL as a transformative practice, facilitated by Dr Nira Rahman of the University of Melbourne. This was followed by parallel sessions on innovative teaching practices, technology and the future of learning, curriculum and assessment, and student voice and partnership.
A panel discussion on the first day, titled “Leading Together: Transnational Collaboration, Inclusive Education and Transformative Pedagogy,” was moderated by Dr Ali Saha, Lecturer at the University of Melbourne, and Dr Shivani Singh, Assistant Professor, SPPU. Panelists included Prof Kate MacNeil, Dr Lakshmi Priya Daniel, Dr Pradeep Taneja and Prof Chaitra Redkar.
Presentations during the conference included a session on inclusive pedagogies in hybrid and digital learning environments from a Nagaland perspective by Dr Rosy Tep, Vice Principal, Tetso College.
Other presentations covered short filmmaking as a pedagogy for business ethics and values by Pratik Potdar, and creating inclusive and engaged classrooms in Northeast India by Rosy L Zhimo and Rinmayo Rainam, MA students of Tetso College.
On the second day, a panel titled “Leading Together Forward” was moderated by Dr Hewasa Khing, Principal, Tetso College, and Dr Joseph Riamei of TISS, Guwahati. The panel featured Dr Ajay Joshi, Prof Anagha Tambe of the Department of Women and Gender Studies, SPPU, Prof V. Ratnamala of Mizoram University, and Dr Wapansenla Imchen, Head of the Department of Management, Tetso College.
The conference concluded with a cultural evening titled “Resonance: Culture Meets Pedagogy,” followed by collaborative discussions and a closing ceremony, reaffirming the focus on developing inclusive, culturally grounded and student-centred pedagogical practices.
