Purpose: There is a need for a shift of the pedagogy to student-centeredness in the teaching--learning process of the higher education sector in countries such as Sri Lanka, where the education system is still identified with the dominant "teacher-centeredness" pedagogy. Within this backdrop, this study aims to understand whether a learner-centred teaching (LCT) can be practised effectively within a postgraduate taught course in Sri Lankan public sector university system. Design/methodology/approach: Ontologically, this study is placed within the interpretivist paradigm and adopted qualitative methodology. Reflections and experiences of 2 facilitators and 63 participants were thematically analysed. Findings: Four themes emerged from the data as key phases of LCT-based learning process, namely: "changing role of the facilitators," "emerging a collaborative learning environment," "creating a platform for contextualising the knowledge gained in class" and "becoming an owner of the learning." Originality/value: Within the learning process, participants became "owners" rather than "renters" because of facilitators maintaining low power distance and participants developing a sense of empowerment, leading to engaging in the learning process willingly. Further, this study shows how the classroom shifted from the state of learner-centred to learner-driven. These novel findings become the main theoretical contribution of this research to existing knowledge.