An 18-year international values-education contest, brought to Indian schools at scale — under the National Education Policy 2020 framework for character, ethics and holistic learning.
This is the India edition of WORLD-PEC (World Peace Ethics Contest for Young People), an international school competition that has run for eighteen consecutive annual editions across Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and India. The 2026 India Pilot is delivered jointly by Chetana Education Society and Dhammacakka Foundation Trust under a Framework MoU dated 23 April 2026.
This is not a new or experimental curriculum — it is one of the longest-running co-curricular school programmes in the region.
The international WORLD-PEC competition is the English-language extension of the Path of Progress Peace Education Programme — a Thai school values-education contest organised annually since 1981. The current Thailand edition is the 44th, conducted in academic year 2025–26.
Across forty-four annual editions, cumulative student participation is measured in tens of millions of student-cycles. The Values for Peace framework now being adapted for India has been refined, tested and revised through this four-decade implementation history.
In 2008 the Thai programme was extended internationally as WORLD-PEC, administered by the World Peace Ethics Club, Thailand. The 18th annual edition was held in 2025; the Indian edition is one of five active national editions.
The Sri Lankan edition (in collaboration with the Sri Lankan Department of Religion since 2010) scaled to over 60,000 contestants in 20,000+ teams across 300+ examination centres nationwide. The programme is offered free of charge to participating students and schools — no registration fee, no examination fee, no fee for the prescribed study book or reflection diary.
"Since August 2529 B.E. (1986) the Dhammakaya Foundation has become the United Nations-accredited Non-Governmental Organization associated with the Department of Public Information (DPI)." — Dhammakaya Foundation, official organisational profile
The international body that maintains the curriculum has held formal United Nations accreditation for nearly four decades — original DPI accreditation in 1986, subsequently Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The international foundation network maintains affiliated branches in over eighty countries, of which the Indian arm is the Dhammacakka Foundation Trust executing this programme on the ground.
A school-based written examination paired with a 30-day daily reflection journal. Students study a single prescribed book and sit a multiple-choice paper at their own school on a single morning. Top-scoring students and schools are publicly recognised in an awards ceremony. Content is universal values education — self-discipline, family responsibility, civic citizenship, work ethic, generosity, and inner reflection — framed in language the organisers describe as "universal and accessible to people of any race, religion and creed."
The National Education Policy 2020 is the single most consequential statement of Indian education policy in over three decades — and it is unusually explicit on the centrality of character, ethics and values education.
"Education must build character, enable learners to be ethical, rational, compassionate and caring, while at the same time prepare them for gainful, fulfilling employment." — National Education Policy 2020, Ministry of Education, Government of India
"The curriculum must include basic arts, crafts, humanities, games, sports and fitness, languages, literature, culture, and values, in addition to science and mathematics, to develop all aspects and capabilities of learners and make education more well-rounded, useful, and fulfilling." — National Education Policy 2020
NEP 2020 also explicitly requires the integration of Indian Knowledge Systems — ethics, values, and traditional wisdom literature — as elective content available from Grade 6 onwards. The Inner-Peace Knowledge Competition is a precise, ready-made, internationally validated implementation of this policy direction.
Government school budgets are constrained by core academic instruction, leaving formal co-curricular character-and- values programmes structurally under-resourced — particularly any programme with an inter-school competitive layer requiring a prize pool, professional event production and printed material distributed free to every student.
Two consequences follow. School principals will not commit faculty time to an unfunded co-curricular activity regardless of content merit. And character-education without a tangible recognition framework remains aspirational rather than operational. CSR funding closes both gaps simultaneously.
An Indian CSR funder, by contributing ₹ 33.5 lakh to this Pilot, is purchasing the operational implementation of a stated NEP 2020 policy direction — reaching an estimated 1,500 students across 25 schools using a curriculum and examination architecture that has been independently validated for eighteen years across five countries.
| Division | Class | Curriculum scope | Study time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | Grade 6 (and 4–5 by approval) | Chapters 1–14 of Values for Peace | ~ 6 weeks |
| Middle | Grades 7–9 | Chapters 1–18 | ~ 8 weeks |
| Senior | Grades 10–12 | Chapters 1–38 (full book) | ~ 10 weeks |
100 multiple-choice questions plus one short essay-style response. Approximately 100 minutes in a single morning slot. Held at the student's own school — no travel required.
Each student maintains a 30-day "Diary of Inner Peace" recording one good deed and one personal reflection per day. Diaries are submitted to the homeroom teacher for daily-completion scoring.
The Pilot is delivered through a clean, registered, accountable structure built specifically for tax-deductible CSR disbursement and Form CSR-2 utilisation reporting.
Receives CSR funds, executes financial controls, files Form CSR-2 and utilisation certificates, manages programme audit. Sole authorised signatory and primary point of contact for the CSR funder.
School outreach, study-material distribution, examination logistics, scoring, ceremony production. Operates the live financial-transparency portal on which every disbursement is published in real time.
The international body maintaining the curriculum is the Dhammakaya Foundation, Thailand — UN-accredited NGO with the Department of Public Information since 1986; ECOSOC Consultative Status thereafter; affiliated branches in 80+ countries. DCFT is the registered Indian arm of the same foundation network. That means there is no third-party licensor, no licensing fee, and no curriculum-access risk — the Indian execution partner is institutionally connected to the international curriculum source.
The international source of the programme and the Indian Trust executing it on the ground are part of the same institutional family. The Indian secular Implementing Agency (Chetana, CSR-1 registered) sits at the front of the structure to receive CSR funds and handle all funder-facing compliance. The funder gets the credibility of a 44-year-old, UN-accredited international programme combined with the regulatory cleanness of an Indian Section 8 / Society Implementing Agency.
The partnership operates under a written Framework Memorandum of Understanding dated 23 April 2026 between Chetana Education Society and Dhammacakka Foundation Trust. A copy is available on request to the funder's due-diligence team.
| Parameter | Pilot 2026 Target |
|---|---|
| Participating schools | 25 — floor 15, ceiling 30 (subject to study-material availability) |
| Estimated participating students | ~1,500 across all three age divisions |
| Programme operations centre | Wardha, Maharashtra — co-located with Chetana Education Society headquarters |
| Languages | English and Hindi (both editions, both printed in India) |
| School type | Open to all CBSE, ICSE, IB and state-board schools — private, government-aided, and government schools |
| Cost to schools and students | Free of charge — book, diary, examination, certificates and ceremony attendance all free |
| Per-student CSR investment | ~₹ 2,233 per student at the 1,500-student target |
| Period | Activity |
|---|---|
| May – June 2026 | CSR funding agreement signed; Hindi edition proofreading finalised; school outreach begins. |
| July 2026 | School applications close; books and diaries delivered to participating schools. |
| August – October 2026 | Student study period; reflection-diary practice section runs. |
| November 2026 | National examination day, simultaneously at all participating schools. |
| December 2026 – January 2027 | OMR scoring; merit-list compilation; results announcement. |
| February 2027 | National Award Ceremony, hosted at the top-ranked winning school. CSR funder representative attends as Chief Guest. |
| March 2027 | Utilisation Certificate, audited financial statement and impact-report photo book delivered to the funder. |
A meaningful prize pool is what converts a written examination into a school-level event with sustained principal-and-teacher engagement.
The homeroom teacher of every prize-winning student receives 20% of that student's announced award amount, paid directly to the teacher. This is drawn from within the prize, not added on top — the headline figures above remain the publicly announced amounts. In Indian schools, students do not enrol in co-curricular contests on their own initiative — the homeroom teacher does. This recognises that fact structurally.
Pilot Year 2026 establishes the operational infrastructure. From Year 2 onwards, the same fixed prize pool is shared across more students — the per-student CSR cost improves materially every year.
| Year | Schools | New | Students | Books printed | Annual budget | Per student |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 — 2026 (Pilot) | 25 | 25 | 1,500 | 500 | ₹ 33.5 L | ₹ 2,233 |
| Year 2 — 2027 | 50 | +25 | 3,000 | 625 | ₹ 44 L | ₹ 1,467 |
| Year 3 — 2028 | 75 | +25 | 4,500 | 750 | ₹ 55 L | ₹ 1,222 |
| 3-year combined | 9,000 cycles | 1,875 books | ~₹ 132.5 L | ₹ 1,472 avg | ||
A funder that commits to all three years secures a 9,000-student-cycle reach at an average cost of ₹ 1,472 per student — comparable to the most efficient school-CSR programmes in India. The Pilot Year funder receives first-right-of-refusal on the multi-year scale-up MoU.
All figures in Indian Rupees (₹). Funds route through Chetana Education Society and are subject to external audit, with a Form CSR-2 Utilisation Certificate issued to the CSR funder.
| Code | Line item | Amount (₹) |
|---|---|---|
| A. Recognition / Prize Pool (includes 20% teacher-recognition share, drawn from within each student award) | ||
| A1 | School awards — Top 3 schools (3 / 2 / 1 lakh) | 6,00,000 |
| A2 | Student awards — Top 5 (3 / 2 / 1 / 0.5 / 0.25 lakh) | 6,75,000 |
| A3 | Honorable Mention awards — 10 students × ₹10,000 | 1,00,000 |
| Subtotal A — Recognition / Prize Pool | 13,75,000 | |
| B. National Award Ceremony | ||
| B1 | Marquee / tent, chairs, staging | 1,20,000 |
| B2 | AV system — sound, mics, projector, LED screen | 80,000 |
| B3 | Stage backdrop, branding (Funder + Chetana + DCFT) | 50,000 |
| B4 | Trophies (3 schools + 5 students + 3 teacher recognition) | 35,000 |
| B5 | Prize-money plaques and symbolic mock cheques (~70 pieces) | 35,000 |
| B6 | Printed certificates (~1,500–1,700 total) | 35,000 |
| B7 | Catering — lunch and tea for ~500 attendees | 2,00,000 |
| B8 | Photography and videography | 60,000 |
| B9 | Press kit, media outreach, post-event impact report | 30,000 |
| Subtotal B — Award Ceremony | 6,45,000 | |
| C. Programme Operations (all study material printed in India) | ||
| C1 | Study books — Values for Peace, India edition (500 copies, India-printed, EN + HI). Funder logo on the front matter of every copy. | 1,00,000 |
| C2 | Reflection diaries — 1,500 copies, India-printed | 75,000 |
| C3 | Hindi edition translation and proofreading (one-time) | 40,000 |
| C4 | School coordinator stipends — 25 schools (liaison, invigilation, diary scoring) | 3,75,000 |
| C5 | Field travel and logistics — school visits across Maharashtra and adjacent states from the Wardha office | 1,50,000 |
| C6 | Online registration platform + WhatsApp helpdesk for schools | 40,000 |
| (Examination papers and OMR sheets — provided in-kind by the international programme partner, no charge to this CSR contribution.) | — | |
| Subtotal C — Operations | 7,80,000 | |
| D. Programme Management | ||
| D1 | Project Coordinator — 12 months (part-time, scaled for 25-school workload) | 2,80,000 |
| D2 | Bookkeeping and external utilisation-certificate audit | 40,000 |
| D3 | Bank charges, stationery, communications | 20,000 |
| Subtotal D — Management | 3,40,000 | |
| E. Operational Budget — Subtotal A + B + C + D | 31,40,000 | |
| F | Scale-Up Buffer (~6.7%) — refundable to funder if unused | 2,10,000 |
| GRAND TOTAL — CSR Funding Ask | 33,50,000 | |
Notes: (i) Per-student investment at the 1,500-student target is approximately ₹ 2,233 — efficient for a school co-curricular programme of this complexity. (ii) The CSR funder may, at its discretion, fund any sub-block (A, B, C or D) independently — multiple funders are welcome to share blocks. (iii) The Scale-Up Buffer in line F is the funder's buffer, not an operational allocation — any unused portion is returned to the funder under Form CSR-2 utilisation norms. (iv) Examination papers, OMR sheets and central marking infrastructure are provided in-kind by the international programme partner.
The line items in the budget are estimates based on current market rates. An event-driven school programme will inevitably encounter line-level variances. The protocol below sets out exactly how variances are managed in either direction (overrun or underspend), so the funder has clarity before any contribution is made.
The 6% Scale-Up Buffer (₹ 2,10,000) is held specifically to absorb costs that arise when actual enrolment exceeds the Pilot's stated target of 25 schools / 1,500 students — for example, when one of the participating schools turns out to have a far larger student body than estimated and registers more students than budgeted, or when an additional school is admitted after the application window closes. The additional logistics costs — extra book and diary printing, additional school coordinator stipends, larger catering at the Award Ceremony, additional travel for Wardha-based field staff — are funded from this Buffer.
It is not a slush fund. Any portion of the Scale-Up Buffer that is not drawn against legitimate enrolment-driven overrun at year-end is returned to the funder under standard utilisation-certificate norms applicable to Section 135 CSR projects, or (at the funder's election) carried forward as a credit against the Year 2 ask.
| Tier | Trigger | Mechanism | Funder action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 Buffer absorption |
Operational overrun within the ₹ 2,10,000 Buffer cap (total spend up to ₹ 33,50,000) | Drawn from Block F. Cross-block reallocation between A/B/C/D is also permitted within the Operational Budget cap of ₹ 31,40,000, with quarterly disclosure on the live transparency portal. | None. Funder is informed via the transparency portal at csr.dhammacakka.in and via the quarterly utilisation update. |
| Tier 2 Variation Order |
Anticipated overrun exceeds the Buffer (total projected spend exceeds ₹ 33,50,000) | Implementing Agency issues a formal written Variation Order to the funder before incurring the overrun, with line-by-line reconciliation and root-cause explanation. | Three options: (a) approve additional contribution; (b) decline — programme is scaled down (fewer schools / leaner ceremony); (c) co-funder syndication. |
The funder commits up to ₹ 33.5 lakh; the Scale-Up Buffer absorbs minor enrolment-driven overruns within that cap; any overrun beyond the cap requires written approval before spend; any underspend is refunded.
In plain terms — here is exactly what your company gets in return for the ₹ 33.5 lakh CSR contribution.
Because all study material is printed in India, the funder's logo and sponsorship line appear on the front matter of every Values for Peace book — a permanent multi-year branding asset in school libraries, well beyond the funding year. A structural advantage of India-printed material that cross-border-shipped material cannot offer.
Funder logo on reflection diary cover, all certificates (~1,500–1,700 in the Pilot), all trophies and plaques, ceremony stage backdrop, and all printed banners and outreach material.
The funder's designated representative personally hands over the prize-money plaques to all school, student and teacher winners. Front-stage placement, full photo and video coverage.
Local print and online press invitations. Professional photography. A 2–3 minute documentary video of the ceremony, suitable for the funder's Annual Report and digital channels.
A 24-page photo book documenting the Pilot — school visits, students at study, examination day, ceremony — delivered to the funder for inclusion in the CSR section of the next Annual Report.
Beyond the standard end-of-year statutory paperwork, the funder receives continuous live access to a public transparency portal at csr.dhammacakka.in. Every disbursement is published as it occurs, with the supporting voucher attached. Materially stronger than the disclosure norm for comparable CSR-funded education programmes in India.
Form CSR-2 utilisation certificate, externally audited financial statement, attendance and beneficiary records, signed Implementing Agency declaration — in addition to the live portal above.
Full deduction available under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act through Chetana Education Society's 80G certification.
The Pilot Year funder receives first-right-of-refusal on the Year 2 (50 schools, 3,000 students) and Year 3 (75 schools, 4,500 students) scale-up commitments — at progressively better per-student economics. For a CSR funder seeking a long-horizon flagship education programme, this is a clean, scalable, audited vehicle.
The proposed activity falls cleanly within the activities prescribed under Schedule VII of the Companies Act 2013 for the purposes of Section 135 (Corporate Social Responsibility):
All CSR engagement, funding agreements and statutory correspondence are handled by Chetana Education Society as the sole authorised signatory. Please direct your enquiries below.