Manoj Khadka

• Curriculum development
• Educational assessment
• Philosophy of education
• Philosophy of nature
• Process ontology

Manoj works at the intersection of curriculum, assessment, teacher education, and philosophical inquiry. His professional work includes the design of curriculum frameworks, curricular materials, systemic reforms in assessment and pedagogic practices, systemic thinking, educational visioning, intervention planning and capacity building within public education systems. He works closely with Education Departments, State Councils of Educational Research and Training (SCERTs), State Education Boards, District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs), and other institutional stakeholders to support systemic improvement in education. His work also includes capacity building of State Resource Groups (SRGs), Key Resource Persons (KRPs), District Resource Groups (DRGs), including education functionaries and teacher educators with a focus on strengthening professional knowledge, capabilities, and practice. Much of his work involves working with public education systems, particularly in Northeast India. 

Prior to joining Azim Premji University, Manoj taught the courses Ethics and Epistemology and Metaphysics as a teaching assistant during his doctoral studies at the Centre for Philosophy, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). He also worked as a Guest Faculty at the Rural Self-Employment Training Institute (RSETI), Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD). Earlier, he worked as Lead Assessor of Schools for the development of the School Development Index (SDI) for the Government of Delhi. 

Manoj holds MA and MPhil degrees and is in the final stages of receiving his Doctoral degree from the Centre for Philosophy, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. His MPhil dissertation, titled Location of Intrinsic Value in Nature: Debates on Environmental Philosophy, examined debates concerning the location and nature of value in the natural world. His doctoral research, titled Nature of Nature: A Philosophical Reflection, is located in the area of Philosophy of Nature. The research argues for a shift from substantive ontology to process ontology in environmental philosophy and in philosophical understandings of nature more broadly.

Manoj is a recipient of the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) by the Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR) for his PhD research. He has also cleared National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) in Philosophy. 

Outside his professional and academic work, Manoj enjoys playing table tennis, trekking, and travelling. He speaks five languages and is interested in environmental and educational issues. He is from Udalguri in the Bodoland region of Assam.