One of the key objectives under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is to ensure universal foundational literacy and numeracy in primary schools by 2025. To support this goal, the Ministry of Education launched the National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN) Bharat in July 2021. This initiative aims for children to acquire essential skills by the end of Class III, with a target completion date set for the 2026-27 academic year.
In alignment with NIPUN Bharat’s objectives, Pratham, a prominent NGO founded in 1995, has been addressing educational gaps with scalable and practical interventions. Pratham’s programs in Early Childhood Education, focusing on children aged three to eight, support the goals of the NIPUN Bharat Mission. This collaboration between the government and the NGO has led to innovative approaches in early education.
One such approach leverages community involvement, centering around a model that engages mothers. According to Smitin, the Programme Director of Pratham’s Early Childhood Education, the NGO introduced the “mothers’ groups” model at the village level. Pratham produces video-based and other educational content approved by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT). This content is distributed to government school teachers, who then share it with mothers.
In these groups, a set of five mothers from the same area, whose children attend the same school, meet weekly. They review the educational videos, participate in activities, and apply what they have learned with their children at home. Smitin reports that there are currently 300,000 active groups in Maharashtra. Each group has a ‘leader mother,’ typically someone with access to a smartphone.
This group-based model fosters a local support system, where women can connect and share experiences. Smitin describes these mothers as “the first responders to the child’s education and learning,” emphasizing Pratham’s recognition of their critical role in their children’s education.
Hemlata Sasane, the Programme Head for the Mothers Groups under NIPUN Maharashtra, recently introduced us to Yogita Pawshe, a ‘leader mother,’ and Malati Salvi, a member of Yogita’s group from Kakadval village in Thane district. Their stories illustrate the vital role these mothers play in advancing their children’s education.