At a time when it was conceived Nalanda was well ahead of its times, having been conceived by stalwarts from different fields and including social thinkers, management professionals and education experts, who felt that a separate institution needs to be set up to cater to the aspect of quality education.
The experience of the founding member, associated with key organizations such as the IIM, World Bank, PRADAN, grass root NGOs etc. was a key driver at the initiating stage. Today Nalanda is run on its day-to-day activities by an alumnus from XISS Ranchi, with strong experience and expertise in education, integration of technology to education and life skill development. Nalanda has always had a broad vision, backed by strong mechanisms and expertise.
The result – Nalanda, was set up in 1996 with the goal of providing universal quality education, especially for children from the underprivileged sections of society. Today, Nalanda is fostering better learning by developing suitable learning materials and resources, providing sought for technical support and capacitating organizations and institutions so that they may further strengthen the cause of quality primary education.
Gradually, Nalanda has forayed into the education of children in upper primary and even secondary levels and beyond. It is today working with children, adolescents and youth. By educating its youth groups in various ways, Nalanda is now foraying into Rural Development and Youth empowerment.
Nalanda has emerged into a strong resource centre. Resource Centre by definition involves a set of activities and strategies that cover the whole cycle of what is required for providing quality education and holistic development to an individual child, adolescent or youth in a structured manner. In each of these areas a resource centre needs to develop certain core strengths and themes which are then pursued in an interlinked manner.