Language and Learning Foundation: Prioritising Early Years Learning

Sana Masroor is the Associate Director, Strategic Partnerships & Communications at Language and Learning Foundation.

When we first set out on our journey at Language and Learning Foundation (LLF), it was not because we wanted to start something new; it was because we could no longer ignore the rising learning crisis in the country. According to the World Bank’s State of Global Learning Poverty Report 2022, 56.1 per cent of children in India at late primary age cannot read and understand a simple text by the age of ten. Across India, children in elementary schools struggle with the very basics of learning: reading with understanding, writing independently, expressing themselves confidently, and doing simple arithmetic. The latest ASER report (2024) stated that only 23.4 per cent of Grade III students were able to read a basic text, and only 33.7 per cent of students could do basic mathematical calculations. Foundational skills are the building blocks for all future learning in school. If children do not acquire these foundational skills in the early years, they start school at a disadvantage and often are unable to catch up in later years.

Despite the progress we have made as a country in increasing school enrolment, a silent crisis has been unfolding inside classrooms, one where children are present, but not truly learning. This is the crisis that LLF was founded to address, even before the launch of the National Education Policy in 2020.

Language and Learning Foundation (LLF) was started in 2015 with a strong belief that sustainable change in education can only happen by working closely within the government education system. We always believe that by enhancing the capacities of the academic cadre and the institutions responsible for educating our children every day, change at scale is possible. Our founder, Dr. Dhir Jhingran, had spent three decades in the public education space, and his insights shaped our approach. If we want children to thrive, we should support the teachers, the mentors, the academic leaders who guide them, and strengthen the curriculum design and pedagogy. We must maintain the system, not bypass it.

One of our earliest interventions, and still one of the most impactful, is our Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme. Teachers are at the heart of our work, and our goal has always been to help them feel more equipped, confident, and supported in the classroom. In 2016, we launched an eight-month blended course for 175 teachers and educators, and we have not looked back since. Today, our Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programmes have reached over 2.5 lakh teachers and teacher educators. These courses are offered in four languages and delivered across eight States. They include a mix of theory and practice, videos, reflections, assignments, mentoring, and peer learning.

The adoption of the National Education Policy (2020) and the NIPUN Bharat mission by the Government of India further placed Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) at the centre of the national education agenda.  Our work over the past decade has been instrumental in operationalising the NEP 2020 and advancing the NIPUN Bharat mission through large-scale system strengthening.

Our vision is clear: All children will have strong foundational skills and abilities of language, literacy and numeracy, thinking and reasoning in their home, and additional languages. Based on this strong foundation, all children will learn and grow to their fullest potential. To achieve this vision, we set an ambitious goal of improving learning outcomes for 60 million children by 2030.

How do we do this? From the very beginning, we knew that meaningful change would not come from one-off workshops or quick fixes. To solve a problem of this magnitude requires a long-term, systemic approach that sustains improved foundational learning practices in government schools. LLF’s approach to bringing about transformative change for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) at scale involves a three-pronged approach. Since our goal is to build commitment and capacity within the government education system to plan and implement early learning programmes at scale, we work in collaboration with State Governments from the beginning, on three dimensions: Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of Teachers, District Demonstration programmes, and System Strengthening at the State level.

Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Programme

One of our earliest interventions, and still one of the most impactful, is our Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme. Teachers are at the heart of our work, and our goal has always been to help them feel more equipped, confident, and supported in the classroom. In 2016, we launched an eight-month blended course for 175 teachers and educators, and we have not looked back since. Today, our Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programmes have reached over 2.5 lakh teachers and teacher educators. These courses are offered in four languages and delivered across eight States. They include a mix of theory and practice, videos, reflections, assignments, mentoring, and peer learning.

We use a range of learning management systems (LMS) like Moodle, which enables educators and learners to create personalised learning environments; DIKSHA, which enhances education in India with resources for in-class learning and teacher training, and Unilearn, which focuses on personalised, AI-driven learning and progress tracking, to disseminate our courses along with additional support through WhatsApp nudges for course participants.

The feedback we receive from educators fuels our commitments. Many have shared that they no longer feel isolated in their roles. They have found communities, confidence, and creativity. 

To prove that better learning is possible at scale, we began implementing the District Demonstration programmes. In 2018, we partnered with the Government of Haryana to pilot holistic approaches that build the capacity of academic support personnel to improve the teaching and learning of Hindi in early primary classes in 175 schools in three blocks of Kurukshetra. In 2019, Grey Matters, an external third-party evaluator, confirmed significant improvements in student learning outcomes for 3,500 students. Of these, 24 per cent were observed to shift from intermediate to advanced levels, establishing strong proof of concept.

District Demonstration Programmes

To prove that better learning is possible at scale, we began implementing the District Demonstration programmes. In 2018, we partnered with the Government of Haryana to pilot holistic approaches that build the capacity of academic support personnel to improve the teaching and learning of Hindi in early primary classes in 175 schools in three blocks of Kurukshetra. In 2019, Grey Matters, an external third-party evaluator, confirmed significant improvements in student learning outcomes for 3,500 students. Of these, 24 per cent were observed to shift from intermediate to advanced levels, establishing strong proof of concept.

This pilot paved the way for LLF to implement India’s first domestic CSR-funded education Development Impact Bond – Haryana Early Literacy Development Impact Bond. Approximately 1,64,000 children and 7,500 educators across 3,213 schools in seven districts of Haryana benefited from the programme. The programme achieved 3.5 times the learning gains over targets and met all six outcome goals.

We are currently running demonstration programmes in 19 districts across five States: Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand, impacting 1.2 million children in over 12,000 schools. These programmes have strengthened teacher training and mentoring support, classroom observations, regular student assessments and data-driven review meetings. This programme demonstrates how the district and block-level government education cadre can implement high-quality FLN programmes more effectively; improving student learning outcomes over three to five years.

A fundamental cornerstone of our strategies is to strengthen and assist the public education system. System strengthening can potentially address and mitigate the existing learning crisis at scale. We provide technical support at the State level and collaborate to create high-quality teaching and learning materials. Our efforts enhance capacity-building at all levels, improve assessment strategies, and strengthen the system’s ability to adopt key initiatives that ensure lasting changes in classroom practices. We integrate ourselves within State education institutions, such as SCERT and Samagra Shiksha, to significantly improve foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) instructional designs, with a particular emphasis on structured pedagogy. This scientific, evidence-based, learner-centric approach equips teachers and mentors with clearly defined objectives and instruction for improving learning outcomes across the State. So far, we have supported the State governments of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh through State-level technical support.

Since 2015, we have reached over 1.62 crore children, and benefited more than 10.85 lakh teachers and educators across 10 States. These numbers are not just statistics; they represent children who can now read and understand stories, and teachers who feel empowered to guide them. In Chhattisgarh, an external evaluation by Impact Partner in Social Development found that 51 per cent of Grade II students in LLF-supported schools achieved grade-level reading comprehension, compared to only 29 per cent in non-programme schools. These results strengthen our commitment and belief in achieving impact at scale.

Impact

Since 2015, we have reached over 1.62 crore children, and benefited more than 10.85 lakh teachers and educators across 10 States. These numbers are not just statistics; they represent children who can now read and understand stories, and teachers who feel empowered to guide them. In Chhattisgarh, an external evaluation by Impact Partner in Social Development found that 51 per cent of Grade II students in LLF-supported schools achieved grade-level reading comprehension, compared to only 29 per cent in non-programme schools. These results strengthen our commitment and belief in achieving impact at scale.

The story of Pushpa Shukla, a teacher from Chhattisgarh, is truly inspiring. After enrolling in our Early Language Teaching course, she discovered strategies like interactive read-alouds and story-based learning. She even created a print-rich classroom environment using her savings. The impact was immediate as her students began reading confidently, and she was later recognised as a mentor to other teachers in the district. Her story is one of many that show how empowered teachers can unlock the potential of entire classrooms.

Like any work rooted in systems change, our journey has not been without its challenges. Leadership transitions are an inherent part of how public systems function, and with that comes the need to continuously align with evolving priorities and perspectives. However, these shifts have never shaken our commitment. Our teams possess a strong foundation in understanding how the system works, and over time, we have built deep credibility by listening, learning, and collaborating with sincerity. We recognise that teachers and administrators often juggle multiple responsibilities beyond education and may feel overburdened with competing priorities, which affect their ability to adopt new initiatives with the attention they deserve. We, therefore, ensure that we design our interventions to minimise the risk of fatigue towards new initiatives.

Securing CSR support for long-term, system-focused work also poses its own set of challenges. CSR grants typically have a duration of two to three years, and they are linked to specific programme activities and outcomes. The nature of work at a system level does not always lend itself to quick wins or instant visibility, especially when compared to domains like skilling or tech-based interventions. Meaningful change in public education could take up to 7–10 years. This makes it challenging for non-profits to stay committed to deep, systemic work without compromising on depth or intent. But we have stayed the course and built strong relationships based on trust, evidence, a strong outcome orientation and shared goals. 

As we continue this work, we know that real change takes time. But we also know it is possible because we have seen it. We have seen it in Pushpa’s classrooms, in the stories of teachers who found their calling, and children who discovered their joy for learning. At the Language and Learning Foundation (LLF), we believe that every child, regardless of their location or language, deserves a strong start. We aim to ensure that when students enter the classroom, they encounter a future filled with possibilities.

The Path Forward

Looking ahead, we have big aspirations. In 2025–26, we plan to expand our work in Balvatika (Pre-primary grade) across Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. We are launching new demonstration districts in Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan, aimed at enhancing foundational literacy and numeracy through a multilingual approach. This method serves as a bridge between children’s L1 (home language) and R1 (medium of instruction in schools), as outlined in NEP 2020. We are investing in stronger data systems, gender-responsive classroom practices, and equity-focused interventions to support children from Adivasi communities. These children are often the most disadvantaged and live in remote, aspirational districts such as Bastar and Sukma in Chhattisgarh, as well as West Singhbhum and Lohardaga in Jharkhand. We are driven by outcomes and committed to using data to strengthen our programmes. To better understand what truly works, we are also investing more deeply in research.

As we continue this work, we know that real change takes time. But we also know it is possible because we have seen it. We have seen it in Pushpa’s classrooms, in the stories of teachers who found their calling, and children who discovered their joy for learning. At the Language and Learning Foundation (LLF), we believe that every child, regardless of their location or language, deserves a strong start. We aim to ensure that when students enter the classroom, they encounter a future filled with possibilities.