Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, India’s first Minister of Education, envisioned education as a transformative force for nation-building and individual empowerment. With an educational foundation rooted in inclusivity, secularism, and progress, Azad aimed to bridge social divides and foster national advancement. Today, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 echoes his vision by striving to create an education system that is inclusive and future-ready, empowering every citizen to reach their full potential. Azad's ideals also translate into today’s global aspirations for education, as emphasized in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Goal 4 calls for accessible, high-quality primary and secondary education for all by 2030, and to achieve this, it is essential for every child to stay in school, unlocking lifelong learning and empowerment.
Challenges in India’s Educational Landscape: Dropout Rates and Gender Inequity
Education is fundamental for every child to grow, develop, gain economic independence, and play active roles in their communities and society. However, one of the greatest barriers to achieving this vision in India is the high dropout rate, particularly among marginalized communities. Economic pressures, limited school access, social barriers, and lack of a supportive environment contribute to dropouts. This not only impacts their personal growth but also reduces the nation’s ability to compete on a global scale. A less-educated population affects economic productivity, perpetuating cycles of poverty restricting innovation across sectors.
An estimated 6.1 million children out of school in 2014 reduced from 13.46 million in 2006. Out of 100 students, 29 per cent of girls and boys drop out of school before completing the full cycle of elementary education, and often they are the most marginalised children.
(Source: SRI-IMRB Surveys, 2009 and 2014)
Around 50 per cent of adolescents do not complete secondary education, while approximately 20 million children not attending pre-school.
(Source Rapid Survey of Children 2013-2014 MWCD)
Half of primary school-going children – which constitutes nearly 50 million children – not achieving grade appropriate learning levels.
(Source: National Achievement Survey, NCERT 2017)
Furthermore, children’s school readiness at age 5 has been far below expected levels.
Girls face additional, complex challenges that affect their educational attainment, especially in rural and economically disadvantaged areas. Cultural norms, safety concerns, early marriage, and economic constraints often force girls out of school. Read More
India has made great strides in improving access to quality education, increasing elementary school enrolment and reducing dropouts. Initiatives like Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, scholarships, and stipends work to increase educational access and retention for girls, but the gap still remains.
Government initiatives to tackle dropouts
Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act (2009)
National Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Policy (2013).
Addressing dropout rates and gender inequity is essential to reaching India’s goal of a 50% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education by 2035. Tackling the underlying causes of dropout, including poverty, limited access to quality education, and social barriers, is key to creating an inclusive educational landscape that empowers communities and strengthens the nation’s human capital. Investments in infrastructure, teacher training, and financial support for disadvantaged students will help foster this inclusivity. Additionally, enhancing primary and secondary education quality is crucial to reducing dropout rates and increasing participation in higher education. A concerted effort from all stakeholders—government, educational institutions, and civil society—is essential to transforming the education landscape and advancing the mission of Building Bharat.
Gender-Inclusive Solutions and Policy Initiatives
The mission of “Building Bharat” advocates a holistic education model that nurtures ethical, self-reliant individuals with a deep sense of purpose and cultural awareness. Samridhi by Piramal Foundation is a flagship project for girl’s education facilitating faster and seamless delivery of scholarships besides fostering compassionate gender transformative education. Integrating technology, educational outcomes are enhanced while addressing systemic challenges, such as high dropout rates, especially among students in under-resourced communities.
By providing interactive, personalized, and accessible learning experiences, digital platforms empower students to learn at their own pace, which can significantly improve engagement and retention. Programs like Google Read Along, for instance, offer children an AI-based reading assistant that promotes language proficiency and literacy skills by providing feedback and guidance. Similarly, Mission Buniyaad focuses on digital literacy skills in primary students through a technology-integrated approach that assesses and improves students' basic literacy and numeracy levels.
The Bharat EdTech Initiative (BEI) by Piramal Foundation is a collaborative effort to bridge learning gaps among low-income students by promoting equitable access to ed-tech resources.
Through a multi-stakeholder model involving government support, community participation, and digital platforms, BEI has introduced the EI Mindspark mobile application across five aspirational districts in Chhattisgarh—Korba, Rajnandgaon, Mahasamund, Kanker, and Kondagaon—benefiting over 33,000 students from Classes VI-IX in more than 600 government schools. This community-driven framework has trained over 8,000 parents, hosted 40+ workshops, and engaged 120+ volunteers to support tech adoption and sustained learning.
Community Engagement and Capacity Building for Sustainable Change
Communities play a vital role in fostering supportive educational environments. Local participation fosters a curriculum that is culturally relevant and aligned with community needs. Programs like “Girl Dropout Mukt GP” in Lohardaga, Jharkhand demonstrate how coordinated, multi-sectoral efforts can address complex local issues like student dropouts. By involving departments of education, health, ICDS, and panchayats alongside local volunteers and SHGs, the initiative re-enrolled over 300 students across 4 blocks.
Convergence of community resources to drive meaningful change in education
In education, collaborative learning is crucial for effective leadership development among educators and community leaders. By uniting individuals at various levels within educational institutions, this approach fosters experience-sharing and mutual learning, enhancing leadership skills and creating an inclusive, dynamic environment that benefits the entire community.
A key advantage of collaborative learning is the cultivation of diverse leadership styles. When educational leaders engage with peers from different backgrounds, they gain valuable insights and strategies that enhance their ability to adapt and innovate. This diversity fosters openness and adaptability, essential qualities for navigating the unique challenges of today's educational landscape. Ultimately, collaborative learning not only strengthens individual leaders but also fortifies the educational ecosystem, ensuring it remains resilient and responsive to the community’s evolving needs.
This collaborative approach is particularly impactful when extended to local governance structures like Panchayats, which are the closest form of administration in rural India. Panchayats hold immense potential to lead educational reform driving grassroots educational initiatives that are community-focused and culturally relevant.
In Kerala, a collaboration between Local Self Governments (Panchayats) and the state government has led to an equitable education system with a literacy rate exceeding 94%. Meanwhile, states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh struggle with rates below 70%, underscoring the urgent need for localized, community-driven approaches.
Therefore, for foundational literacy it’s essential for community to come together and foster partnerships among schools, local bodies, and families, which will ultimately create a conducive learning environment. A glaring example of such a collaboration is the Panchayat Learning Centers (PLCs) in Jehal and Tandi Gram Panchayats in Himachal Pradesh, where elected representatives execute best practices, shares insights, and tailor strategies to meet their communities' needs. These multi-functional centers, equipped with smart classrooms and libraries, not only enhance knowledge-sharing but also empower local populations, demonstrating the importance of a collaborative approach to education.
Capacity-building of educators
Education is a dynamic field, constantly evolving with new pedagogy, technology, and curriculum design. As digital tools become integral to education, capacity-building programs for educators becomes important. These programs equip teachers, local leaders, and stakeholders with the knowledge and skills to implement effective, innovative teaching methods, adapt to change, and support continuous professional growth.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasizes effective teacher training and continuous professional development. Initiatives like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) focus on improving teacher recruitment and training to ensure quality education. The Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) caters to both pre-service and in-service training. NEP also highlights preparing educators for leadership roles, fostering adaptation to new educational structures, multidisciplinary approaches, autonomy, and the academic bank of credits.
Recently, University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved guidelines for institutional leadership development programme for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with the aim to encourage institutions to develop tailored leadership programmes that meet local and national challenges, focusing on skill development, strategic visioning, and adaptive leadership.
This will serve as a guiding compass for institutions aspiring to empower their faculty members to adeptly assume leadership responsibilities. This comprehensive manual draws from a wealth of collective knowledge, research, and pragmatic insights shared by experienced academic leaders
UGC Chairman Prof. M Jagadesh Kumar
By empowering local leaders, teachers, and stakeholders, Piramal Foundation ensures that education becomes a driving force for social change. The focus is not just on improving educational outcomes but on building the capacity of communities to sustain and lead these changes themselves.
Piramal Foundation’s initiative of Buniyadi Shiksha Abhiyan (BSA) is an approach to accelerating NIPUN BHARAT which aims to strengthen different State initiatives taken under the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Mission to improve foundational literacy and numeracy skills in aspirational districts. The campaign was focused on improving district administration collaboration, middle managers' capacity building and a community-driven approach to increase community participation in student learning through community classes. The campaign has aligned 112 districts, selected 17516 demonstration schools, and trained 53835 middle managers and teachers.
Leadership Development (LEAD), spotlights the recent partnership with the Capacity Building Commission (CBC) for the Karmayogi Saarthi Program.
Piramal Foundation initiatives in cementing the foundation of education
Around 65,000 teachers oriented on SEL through DIKSHA courses, Webinars, and intensive training programmes.
Trained 680 teachers and 40 DIET faculty members in SoE schools with 535 Teachers owning SEL by creating lesson plans. 203 adolescents engage with SEL corner weekly.
80% SMCs members of the 121 demonstration schools discuss students’ progress on SEL. Over 20,000 parents engaged in their role for children's wellbeing through IVRS and webinars
Partnered with six states to strengthen of State Institute of Educational Management and Training (SIEMAT), State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Directorate of Education (DoE), Samagra Shiksha, and District Institute of Education and Training (DIET).
Built 'Sewa Bhaav' (spirit of service) amongst education leaders by empowering 1,08,652 state-level, district-level, block-level, and cluster-level education officials
Trained and capacitated 10,030 mid-level education leaders in six states of India
Empowering Youth and Women as Educational Catalysts
Involving youth and women in educational programs can significantly impact community engagement and education quality. With Gandhi Fellowship and Karuna Fellowship, Piramal Foundation underscores the importance of youth and women in strengthening educational outcomes, fostering gender inclusivity, and building resilient support systems for schools.
Programs like Sangini mobilize young women to support educational initiatives and foster community involvement. By working with schools, local governments, and community leaders, these young fellows and women from different corners of the nation act as catalysts for long-term educational improvement.
Watch how Vishnu Narayan, a Gandhi Fellow, tackled the overlooked issue of children begging near temples in Bihar by implementing a sustainable education initiative supported by the local community, transforming lives and creating lasting change.
Mr. Deen Mohammad, Block Education Officer of Nuh District, Haryana discusses the pivotal role of Karuna Fellows in shaping the educational landscape in the rural region of Mewat and the Aspirational District of Nuh.
Holistic Education as a Path to Building Bharat
Holistic education, viewed as a pedagogical revolution, emphasizes empowering students with ethical decision-making skills, fostering cultural understanding and environmental awareness.
A holistic approach to education integrates ethical decision-making, cultural understanding, and environmental awareness, preparing students to be conscientious citizens. Piramal Foundation, with this approach of holistic education focuses on character-building and community well-being, encouraging students to apply classroom knowledge in real-world contexts. This theory of change advocates for transforming educational practices to equip youth for the 21st century, reimagining teaching methods and roles of institutions through literacy reforms and strategic collaborations.
In this approach, Piramal Foundation is not only redefining school pedagogy but also revitalizing institutions like SIEMATs, SCERTs, and DoEs. By partnering with education officials, district schools are evolving into 21st-century innovation hubs, aligning pedagogy with modern educational needs, focusing on early childhood education, and introducing Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning (SEEL). Promoting experiential Project-Based Learning (PBL), children are equipped with essential 21st-century skills to face modern challenges.
Acknowledgement
This article would not have been possible without the invaluable contributions of several individuals and teams. Data courtesy for this blog goes to Big Bet teams of ABC and PSL for that underpins the arguments of the piece. Special thanks to Sanskriti Rajkhowa for delivering data on last minute request. My heartfelt gratitude extends to Geeta Kannupillai whose guidance on structuring the content has ensured both clarity and cohesiveness throughout.
Towards an Inclusive, Future-Ready Bharat
To truly honour Maulana Azad’s vision, education must be viewed as the foundation of an empowered society. Through inclusive, community-driven, and technologically supported educational initiatives, India can transform its education system to become more resilient and inclusive. With collaborative efforts from government, educational institutions, and civil society, every child will have the opportunity to reach their full potential and contribute meaningfully to Building Bharat.
Sources
https://www.unicef.org/india/what-we-do/education
https://educationforallinindia.com/dropout-rates-in-schools-in-india/
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