Parliament Question: Progress and Future Roadmap under the NIPUN Bharat Mission

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-1516 ANSWERED ON-09/02/2026 Progress and Future Roadmap under the NIPUN Bharat Mission 1516. Shri Shashank Mani: Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state: (a) the present status of implementation of the National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy NIPUN Bharat Mission across all States and Union Territories along with the measurable learning outcomes achieved since its launch in 2021; (b) whether the Government has undertaken any independent assessment or third-party evaluation to gauge the Mission’s impact on foundational literacy and numeracy in Government and aided schools particularly in rural and aspirational districts in the country and if so, the details thereof; and (c) whether the Government proposes to expand the Mission’s scope beyond Grade 3 to ensure continuity in learning outcomes through middle school and if so, the details thereof along with the timeline? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a) to (c): The Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education has launched a National Mission called “National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat)” on 5th July, 2021 for ensuring that every child in the country necessarily attains foundational literacy and numeracy by the end of Grade 2. This Mission aligned with 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 NIPUN-Bharat Mission. It is for the first time that the age group of 3-8 years has been included in the school continuum in the foundational stage in “5+3+3+4” pedagogical and curricular structure, consisting of 3 years of pre-school (Balvatika) and Grade 1 & 2.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 details of the major achievements of the NIPUN Bharat (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy) Mission since its inception:- 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 8.9 lakh schools have benefitted. ‘Jaadui Pitara’ - a play-based learning-teaching material is tailored for children between the age group of 3-8 years. As envisaged in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) ‘Jaadui Pitara’, was launched on 20th February, 2023. The Jaadui Pitara is a box having 53 Learning Teaching Materials (LTM) for the foundational stage. Available in 22 Indian languages, it has toys, games, puzzles. puppets, posters, flashcards, story cards, playbooks etc. for students and handbooks for teachers. It also consists of a Trainer’s Handbook ‘Unmukh’ which is a comprehensive guide for the trainers which has activity bank for 3–6-year-old children which is mapped to Panchkoshiya vikas and curricular goals of NCF- FS for future training of teachers at Foundational Stage. The Activity Book ‘Anand” contains integrated worksheets to be used by children. The e-Jaadui Pitara (e-JP) was launched on 10th February 2024. The e-JP is an integration of the latest technology with play-based pedagogy and a way to disseminate the learning of Jaadui Pitara and transcend it beyond the four walls of the classroom. e-JP, in alignment with the NEP 2020, is web-based application along with browser access at https://ejaaduipitara.ncert.gov.in/. The app currently has more than 1,000 stories in 14 different Indian languages. Play and activity-based textbooks for classes 1 and 2 have been released in July, 2023 (Hindi- “Sarangi”, English-“Mridang”, “Mathematics- Joyful-Mathematics and Anandmay-Ganit” and Urdu- “Shahnai”) fulfilling NEP 2020 and NCF-FS (National Curricular Framework for Foundational Stage) recommendations.Primers (launched in March, 2024) have been developed in 121 Local and Tribal Languages for foundational literacy and numeracy in mother tongues spoken by populations of at least 10,000. Lakshyas or Targets for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy starting from the Balvatika-3 upto Grade 2 based on the learning outcomes have been developed on the basis of national and international research. NISHTHA (National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement) online was launched using DIKSHA platform in October 2020 to reach out to elementary teachers and its further extension to all level of teachers. It includes multiple approaches for interaction i.e., Text Modules along with videos. Currently, it hosts contents in 133 languages (126 Indian Languages + 7 foreign languages). More than 15.45 lakh teachers have completed NISHTHA online training program for FLN & ECCE. The Government of India conducts periodic large-scale assessments to measure learning and education outcomes across the country. The National Achievement Survey (NAS) was conducted in 2017 and again in 2021 to assess the learning levels of students in Grades 3, 5, 8 and 10 across language, mathematics, environmental studies, science and social science. PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) is conducted to evaluate the learning competencies of students in Foundational Literacy & Numeracy, Language and Mathematics at the end of each of the educational stages i.e. Foundational, Preparatory and Middle in Grades 3,6 & 9. PARAKH is conducted once in three years. The latest PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 with participation of 74000 Schools, 2.70 lakh teachers and 21 lakh students from Government, Aided and Private Schools (including rural and aspirational districts) was conducted on 4th December, 2024. The State/UT wise PARAKH 2024 report has been officially released in public domain on 2nd July, 2025. This can be accessed at https://dashboard.parakh.ncert.gov.in/en. PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 findings highlight a significant improvement in foundational literacy and numeracy skills outcomes, reflecting the positive impact of the NIPUN Bharat Mission as envisioned in NEP 2020. It reflects that the performance of children in Grade 3 in rural schools is better than urban schools and that the government schools have performed better than private schools at foundational stage. NITI Aayog, Government of India in the evaluation report titled “Evaluation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes in Package 3: Education Sector” in 2025, has conducted an analysis of the Samagra Shiksha Scheme, of which NIPUN Bharat Mission is a part. The report mentions in para5.2.8 under the heading inferences and findings that “the Samagra Shiksha interventions align closely with NEP 2020 objectives, particularly in FLN, digital learning, and vocational education. Bal Vatika and inclusive education efforts directly respond to foundational and equity needs.” The report also mentions that “focussed foundational learning efforts under Samagra, including NIPUN Bharat, are translating into measurable improvements at primary level, particularly in reading and basic numeracy.” Further the report states in para 5.2.9 that “The most transformative shift under the scheme has been its transition from an access-oriented model to a quality-focused, inclusive, and systemic education reform framework. First, there has been a clear reorientation toward learning outcomes, with foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN), teacher training, and digital governance tools playing a central role in enhancing classroom delivery and administrative efficiency…” The NBM is aimed at improving foundational literacy and numeracy skills among children at the end of Grade 2. Recognizing the importance of early learning, the National Education Policy 2020 states that the highest priority of the education system will be to achieve universal foundational literacy and numeracy in primary schools by 2026-27. The rest of this policy will be largely irrelevant for our students, if this most basic learning (i.e. reading, writing, and arithmetic at foundational level) is not first achieved. The Government of India through NBM, under the aegis of the flagship scheme Samagra Shiksha, continues to make progress to achieve this target. *****