From ambition to results: India’s model for fast, systemic gains in foundational learning

This blog post was originally published October 28th, 2025 on the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) 'Education for All' blog here.

In a classroom in Uttar Pradesh, a Grade 3 student reads a storybook aloud, demonstrating progress that seemed out of reach only 2 years ago.

For the visiting delegation from the Global Coalition for Foundational Learning, joined by African partners from Human Capital Africa (HCA) and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), this moment captured how sustained political commitment and coordinated leadership across every level of government have turned ambition into measurable learning gains.

In September, the Coalition and its partners witnessed one of the world’s most ambitious education reforms: NIPUN Bharat (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy) launched in 2021 under the National Education Policy. The mission unites every level of government to ensure all children can read and do basic math.

The visit provided the opportunity to observe education reform at scale and to explore how South–South collaboration can help improve foundational learning outcomes across Africa.

The takeaway is clear. With political commitment, clear targets, evidence-based materials and consistent data use, learning gains for all children are achievable, rapidly and at scale.

Measurable progress, at unprecedented scale

India’s reforms are already delivering results.

In just 2 years, learning levels have improved across states. In the state of Uttar Pradesh, home to over 240 million (larger than the population of Nigeria), the share of Grade 3 children who can read a Grade 2 level text rose (a common benchmark used in India to measure early literacy) from 24% in 2022 to 34% in 2024 according to the recent Annual Status of Education Report (ASER).

This is a remarkable achievement within one political cycle and one that reflects national trends of steady improvement across states.

Indeed, Grade 3 data from the latest national assessment exercise, PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, show that government schools now outperform private schools in several states.

India proves that with the right focus, especially on the most remote classrooms, every child can learn to read and do basic maths.

How the system was mobilized

By framing foundational learning as the bedrock of national development and economic progress, India gave political urgency to NIPUN Bharat: a roadmap to ensure every child attains foundational literacy and numeracy by Grade 3 by 2026–27, reaching more than 50 million children across the country.

India’s reforms rest on several mutually reinforcing elements:

• Political leadership: States lead implementation, set learning goals and compete on results. Political ambition for learning now translates into accountability through measurable goals and transparent progress tracking.
• Delivery infrastructure: Project management units (PMUs) operate at every level, backed by dedicated financing to build and sustain delivery capacity, harnessing local talent.
• Structured pedagogy: Teachers use lesson plans, workbooks and one-to-one textbooks in languages children understand; the national curriculum links classroom practice to clear, competency-based goals.
• Embedded partnerships and leveraging the ecosystem: Civil society organizations, such as Pratham, Central Square Foundation (CSF) and Language and Learning Foundation (LLF), work with government systems to advocate for reform, build capacity and sustain momentum. They are further supported by domestic philanthropy investing in evidence-based programs that strengthen public delivery and amplify government leadership.
• Data for decision making: National assessments are complemented by digital tools for teachers and coaches to tailor instruction and monitor progress.

Like a Rubik’s cube, progress depended on aligning many moving parts—pedagogy, teacher support, governance, data and feedback loops, and leadership—to form a coherent whole. This alignment has enabled rapid progress and offers a model others can adapt.

Sustaining and deepening the gains

India’s progress is impressive, but the work is not done.

The next phase will focus on sustaining NIPUN Bharat beyond 2026-2027 to ensure every child masters foundational skills, reaching those left behind through targeted interventions in Grades 3 to 5 and ensuring teaching guides, lesson plans and workbooks are used effectively and reinforced through coaching.

Addressing persistent system challenges such as multigrade and multilingual classrooms will also be critical to ensuring learning gains are equitable and lasting.

India’s continued focus on quality, equity and sustainability in education will be instructive for other countries transitioning from initial success to enduring, system-wide improvement.

From shared learning to action

For the Global Coalition for Foundational Learning and African partners, the visit to India showed the power of South–South collaboration while also offering lessons for the Global North on how countries can be funded and supported differently to accelerate learning outcomes.

For African partners, India’s journey is proof that systemic change at scale is possible and that governments can lead it.

Looking ahead, the Coalition and its partners are eager to build on these insights at the 2025 ADEA (Association for the Development of Education in Africa) Triennale in Accra, joining ministers, policy makers and practitioners to discuss strategies to improve foundational learning outcomes, share evidence and accelerate progress so every child, everywhere, masters the basics to build on for future learning and opportunity.