Parliament Question: Integration of App Based Numeracy learning tools Vedic Mathematics

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-4881 ANSWERED ON-23/03/2026 Integration of App Based Numeracy learning tools Vedic Mathematics 4881. Shri Anurag Singh Thakur: Shri Jagdambika Pal: Shri Captain Brijesh Chowta: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) the steps taken during the last five years to mandate, operationalise Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) Mission, as envisaged in National Education Policy (NEP) 2020; (b) whether the Government has integrated app based numeracy learning tools, rooted in the country's traditional knowledge systems such as Vedic Mathematics, delivered through indigenous homegrown applications on cloud-based platforms leveraging AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics) technologies and gamification, if so, the details thereof; (c) the extent to which these initiatives have been implemented across approximately 11 lakh Government schools and 3 lakh Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools for holistic child development to address deficiencies in essential life skills; (d) whether the Government proposes to permit channelisation of CSR funds of Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) for bridging the national numeracy gap by supporting early-stage EdTech startups that fuse our country traditional knowledge with AVGC-enabled gamified learning platforms; and (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a): The Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Education (MoE) has launched a National Mission called “National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat Mission (NBM))” on 5th July, 2021 forensuring that every child in the country necessarily attains foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) by the end of Grade 2. This Mission aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, has been set up under the aegis of the centrally sponsored scheme of Samagra Shiksha- an integrated scheme for School Education. Under Samagra Shiksha, all 36 States/Union Territories are implementing the NBM. Under the NBM, a range of systemic interventions have been undertaken and the following progress has been made across the country: (i) A 3-months play based ‘School Preparation Module and Guidelines’ for Grade I named ‘Vidya Pravesh’ was launched on 29th July, 2021. The goal of Vidya Pravesh programme is to promote school preparedness in all children coming to Grade-I from diverse backgrounds (Balvatika, Anganwadi Centers (AWCs), at home, private play schools etc.), to ensure a smooth transition of children to Grade-I. It provides play based, age and developmentally appropriate learning experiences in a joyful and stimulating environment leading to holistic development to bolster a child’s pre-literacy, pre-numeracy, cognitive and social skills. This programme is being implemented across the country. From 2022-23 till date, over 4.2 crore students in around 8.9 lakh schools have benefitted. The Vidya Pravesh Programme is a new initiative so that the children are school ready. (ii) To improve the learning outcomes at foundational stage, the National Curricular Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) was released on 20th October, 2022 providing a structure for the syllabus, training of teachers, Learning Teaching Material (LTM), etc. The NEP recommends a toy based pedagogy for FLN for joyful learning. The various LTM being used for the same are as under: • The Jaadui Pitara (JP), a set of 53 play-based learning-teaching materials for ages 3-8 was launched on 20th February 2023. Available in 22 Indian languages, JP includes toys, puzzles, story cards, flashcards, and teacher handbooks. Its digital extension, the e-Jaadui Pitara, launched on 10th February 2024, offers multilingual stories, activities, songs in 22 Indian languages, and AI-based bots-Katha Sakhi, Teacher Tara, and Parent Tara-to support children, teachers, and parents. As envisaged in NEP 2020, these initiatives are an integral part of the foundational stage.• Primers (launched in March, 2024) have been developed in 121 local and tribal languages for FLN in mother tongues spoken by populations of at least 10,000. (iii) Lakshyas or Targets for FLN starting from the Balvatika-3 upto Grade-2, based on the learning outcomes have been developed on the basis of national and international research. (iv) The Government of India conducts periodic large-scale assessments, to measure learning and education outcomes across the country, through PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) Rashtriya Sarvekshan, which is conducted by National Assessment Centre, PARAKH under the aegis of the Ministry of Education. The primary objective of this survey is to evaluate the learning competencies of students at the end of each of the educational stages i.e. Foundational, Preparatory, and Middle. The latest PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan was conducted on December 4, 2024. A comparative analysis of State-wise average scores at foundational stage during National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 and PRS 2024 reflects the depth and impact of NIPUN Bharat Mission. There is an improvement in learning achievements of the students reflecting the success of NIPUN Bharat Mission across the country. It also shows that the performance of children in Grade 3 in rural and government schools is better than urban and private schools, indicating clear improvement in learning outcomes from previous survey. This can be accessed at https://dashboard.parakh.ncert.gov.in/en. (v) The Holistic Progress Card (HPC) has also been introduced as a formative assessment tool to provide a multidimensional view of student progress. It goes beyond academics to include co- curricular and socio-emotional development. Insights from these assessments guide evidence-based interventions, ensuring uniform progress across all regions. The Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSE&L) has launched a national initiative to improve learning outcomes through an integrated teacher training programme called the National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) under Samagra Shiksha. NISHTHA supports large-scale in-service teacher capacity building and includes training modules for primary teachers focusing on pedagogy, FLN, inclusive education and classroom practices, and is implemented in coordination with the States and Union Territories through face-to-face and online modes. More than 15.57 lakh users including pre-primary teachers, master trainers and Anganwadi Workers havecompleted NISHTHA online training program for FLN & ECCE. Besides, these states are also conducting physical trainings of teachers at State level. (b) to (e) In Union Budget 2026-27 Government announced the establishment of AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics) content creator labs across 15000 secondary schools and 500 colleges with the support of Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) Mumbai, aimed at nurturing creative talent, strengthening India’s AVGC Eco-system, and building a robust pipeline of skilled creators for the country’s rapidly expanding orange economy. IICT aims to function as a world-class institution for education, research, innovation, and capacity building in animation, visual effects, gaming, and extended reality. An allocation of Rs. 392.85 crores has been made for its development and operations. The new textbooks being developed by NCERT in pursuance to NCF-SE are rooted in Indian Knowledge Systems and is guided by Panchkosha. Education is in the concurrent list of the Constitution of India. Hence, majority of the schools are under the domain of the respective State Governments/UT administrations. Moreover, Samagra Shiksha scheme is Centrally Sponsored Scheme. Under the scheme, funds are contributed by Centre and State as per sharing ratio. The States/UTs, being the implementing agencies, are free to engage with other agencies/enterprises for CSR related activities, as per requirement. Vidyanjali, a school volunteer management program of Department of School Education & Literacy under Ministry of Education, was launched in September 2021 with the aim to strengthen government and government aided schools and improve the quality of school education through community, CSR and private sector involvement across the country. *****