We have been engaged with the global Democratic Education community since 2019 - we have participated in conferences to learn from an international network of practitioners, and we have visited Democratic Schools to understand the realities on the ground.
Fusing those learnings with our own experiences, we have shared our thoughts on a variety of platforms:
Academic Publications
For Sifaan Zavahir's Post Graduate Diploma in Education Policy & Analysis at the Bandaranaike Academy for Leadership and Public Policy (2023-2024):
- Critique of National Education Policy Framework (2023-2033) (from a lens of Education as a Human Right, Dec 2023)
- Policy Brief: A Longer walk to Freedom (on recognizing children as subjects of their own rights in Education, Aug 2024)
- Essay: "Rights"ing a Wrong (on Dehegemonizing Education from the Human Capital Development model, Sep 2024)
- Case Study: Implications of English Medium Instruction on Field Selection at the University of Moratuwa (on inequities arising from a high-stakes exam using a different medium of instruction than what students are accustomed to, Oct 2024)
- Capstone Report: Rights-Centric Education (on pulling education into alignment with evolution of human rights, Nov 2024)
On Democratic / Self-Directed / Non-Coercive Education
- (SZ) Centering Education Practice on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child at the Learning Planet Festival 2025
- (SZ) Choosing the "Rights" Direction: Using the CRC to steer education at the Inspire Education Summit, Nov 20 2024
- (SZ) "Depathologing Neurodiversity" dialogue at the European Democratic Education Conference (EUDEC) 2024 in the Netherlands, Jul 29 - Aug 4 2024
- (SZ) Keynote on Role of Adults in Democratic Education at the 30th International Democratic Education Conference 2023, Nepal
- (SZ) "Anarchic Relationships" Keynote Talk at the European Democratic Education Conference (EUDEC) 2024 in the Netherlands, Jul 29 - Aug 4 2024
- (DM) Panelist on ඉගෙනගන්න ඉගෙනගන්න for කොළොංබියා podcast කතාකරමු"කො" (Sinhala)
- (SZ) Dialogue with Galkande Dhammananda Thero (Part 1, 2) on Education in relation to Buddhist Philosophy for කතාබහ program on the Walpola Rahula Institutes' පාංශු channel (Sinhala)
- (DM + SZ) Interview for Bodhini Samaratunga's Eastern Notes blog on දරුවන්ගෙ අධ්යාපනය පුජාතන්ත්රික විය යුතු ද? (Part 1, 2)
- (SZ) Interview with ෆින්ලන්ඩ් වැසියා YouTube Channel on Restorative Practices and Parenting (Sinhala)
- (SZ) Panelist at the Screening of QUEST documentary on Suvemäe democratic school-within-a-school on Dec 10, 2023
- (SZ) Flipped Workshop on "How Self-Directed Education could address challenges in Higher Education" at ABSEL’s 2021 conference (based on this article for ASDE’s Tipping Point magazine)
- (SZ) Session on "Aesthetic (Art) Education" at International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC) 2020, and a sequel at ZA Share Education Innovation Expo, Taiwan
On Child Rights
- (SZ) Centering Education Practice on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child at the Learning Planet Festival 2025
- (SZ) Choosing the "Rights" Direction: Using the CRC to steer education at the Inspire Education Summit, Nov 20 2024
- (SZ) "Child Rights in Education" Keynote Talk (partial recording) and Panelist (recording) at the European Democratic Education Conference (EUDEC) 2024 in the Netherlands, Jul 29 - Aug 4 2024
- (SZ) Session on "RIGHTing a Wrong: Conventional Education vs. the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child" at the Liberation of Education Conference, Feb 26-29 2024
- (SZ) Session on "The Biggest Barrier to Rights Affirming Education and How to Dismantle it" at the Learning Planet Festival 2024
- (SZ) Speaker at "Should I have to go to School?" online event by Taiwan Democratic Education Community, Dec 23, 2023
- (SZ) Co-authoring a resolution to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child approved at the 30th International Democratic Education Conference 2023, Nepal (see the final resolution here, read the backstory here)
On Liberatory Philosophies
- (SZ) Article on Groundviews Motherhood and Manufactured Consent: The Hegemony of the Good Mother
- (SZ) Article on Groundviews Men Cry Too (re. Patriarchy)
- (SZ) Poem (won 3rd place in English Category) "An Ode to the Market Economy" on Food Rights for World Food Day 2024 (re. Food Sovereignty, Anti-Capitalism)
On Education Policy
- (DM) Guest Column on "Child safety requires full protection of all child rights" on the Daily FT (June 3, 2025)
- (SZ) Guest Column on the National Education Policy Framework (2023-2033) on the Daily FT (May 9, 2024)
- (SZ) Speech on Education as a Right at the Policy Dialogue organized by the Bandaranaike Academy of Leadership and Public Policy (Jan 23, 2024). Video coverage, Press Coverage
- (DM + SZ) Interview on "Kannangara Reforms" for “Sri Lanka Together” YouTube channel (Sinhala)
- (DM + SZ) Interview on "An Education for a Democracy" on Citizen’s Forum (Sinhala)
- (SZ) Guest column on "How Education could respond to #covid19" in the Daily FT
On Restorative Practices
- (DM) Dialogue with Galkande Dhammananda Thero on "හැඳිගාන්න දරුවා හොද්දක් ද?" on the Walpola Rahula Institutes' පාංශු channel (Sinhala)
- (DM) Guest column on "From playgrounds to GDP: Violence against children costs us all" in the Daily FT
- (DM) Interview on "ගුටි බැට දුන්නම යහපත් දරුවෙක් හැදෙනවද?" on සරෝජ් සමග සංදේශය (Sandeshaya by Saroj) (Sinhala)
- (SZ) Workshop at 12th International Conference of the European Forum for Restorative Justice in Tallinn, Estonia on "Healing our invisible inner-child trauma and ending violence against children: The role of Restorative Justice" May 29-31, 2024
- (SZ) Interview with ෆින්ලන්ඩ් වැසියා YouTube Channel on Restorative Practices and Parenting (Sinhala)
- (DM) Interview on Non-Violent Communication for the කාලීන program on Siyatha TV (2024) (Sinhala)
- (SZ) Keynote on Restorative Practices at the 30th International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC) 2023, Nepal
- (SZ) Dialogue with Galkande Dhammananda Thero (Part 1, 2) on Education in relation to Buddhist Philosophy for කතාබහ program on the Walpola Rahula Institutes' පාංශු channel (Sinhala)
On Parenting
- (DM) Dialogue with Galkande Dhammananda Thero on "හැඳිගාන්න දරුවා හොද්දක් ද?" on the Walpola Rahula Institutes' පාංශු channel (Sinhala)
- (DM) Guest column on "From playgrounds to GDP: Violence against children costs us all" in the Daily FT
- (DM) Interview on "ගුටි බැට දුන්නම යහපත් දරුවෙක් හැදෙනවද?" on සරෝජ් සමග සංදේශය (Sandeshaya by Saroj) (Sinhala)
- (SZ) Dialogue with Galkande Dhammananda Thero (Part 1, 2) on Education in relation to Buddhist Philosophy for කතාබහ program on the Walpola Rahula Institutes' පාංශු channel (Sinhala)
- (SZ) Interview with ෆින්ලන්ඩ් වැසියා YouTube Channel on Restorative Practices and Parenting (Sinhala)
- (DM + SZ) Session on "Parenting and Self-Directed Education" at AERO’s 2021 conference
- (SZ) Webinar on Father’s role in parenting for EveryStory Sri Lanka (2020)