P&G India’s Enakshee Deva on Foundational Learning and P&G Shiksha’s Education Journey

Building Learning, Not Just Access: Lessons from P&G Shiksha

India’s education journey has made significant gains in getting children into school. The more complex challenge now is ensuring that they are able to learn, keep pace and build strong foundations for the years ahead. This calls for looking beyond enrolment to school readiness, foundational literacy and numeracy, learning continuity, and the role of families and communities in sustaining learning.

In this interview with TheCSRUniverse, Enakshee Deva, Head, Corporate Communication and Corporate Social Responsibility, Procter & Gamble India, reflects on P&G Shiksha’s journey of over two decades and the evolving role of CSR in education. She discusses the importance of early learning, community participation and partnerships in improving outcomes, while sharing insights from initiatives such as CAMaL Ki Taiyari and P&G Shiksha’s summer interventions. The conversation also explores what it takes to build sustainable, scalable and child-centred learning models that help children not just enter school, but continue learning and progressing.

Read the full interview below for more insights:

Q. India has made significant progress in school access and enrolment. What needs to change to ensure children are not just in school, but learning consistently?

A. Getting children into school is an important first milestone. The next priority is ensuring that every child is learning with understanding, progressing with confidence and not being left behind. This means shifting the focus from access and attendance alone to learning outcomes, particularly foundational literacy and numeracy, which form the building blocks for future learning. A child may be attending school regularly, but if they are struggling to understand a concept or keep pace with their grade, the gap can widen over time. P&G Shiksha’s own evolution reflects this shift—from initially focusing on access and school infrastructure to taking a more holistic approach centred on learning outcomes and conceptual understanding.

This makes it critical to identify learning gaps early and provide timely support based on a child’s actual learning level, rather than simply their age or grade. Equally important is creating safe and encouraging environments where children can ask questions, make mistakes and learn without being labelled. Learning continuity also cannot be the responsibility of schools alone. Parents, caregivers, teachers, communities, NGOs and government all have a role to play in creating an ecosystem that supports children throughout their learning journey. P&G Shiksha’s collaborative approach, including partnerships with government bodies and organisations such as Pratham Education Foundation, is aligned with national priorities including the National Education Policy and NIPUN Bharat Mission, with their emphasis on foundational literacy and numeracy.

Recognising that structured learning opportunities can be particularly important during school transitions and breaks, P&G Shiksha, in partnership with Pratham, introduced CAMaL Ki Taiyari, a summer intervention comprising School Readiness Melas designed to help children transition confidently into formal schooling. Through engaging, play-based activities focused on foundational literacy, numeracy, language and socio-emotional development, the initiative brings together parents, caregivers, educators, government representatives and youth volunteers, making communities active partners in a child’s learning journey. Ultimately, the goal is not simply to ensure that children enter school, but that they are equipped to learn, catch up when they fall behind and continue progressing with confidence—at the heart of P&G Shiksha’s journey from Padhega India to Samajh se badhega India.

Q. How critical are school readiness, foundational literacy, and numeracy in preventing learning gaps later in a child’s educational journey?

A. The early years set the foundation for everything that follows. When children develop the right foundational skills early, they are better equipped to enter school with confidence and continue learning as they progress through the grades. This is why P&G Shiksha’s approach today is both preventive and remedial. Through its Early Childhood Education programme with Pratham, P&G Shiksha works with children aged 3–6 years to develop motor, cognitive, social-emotional, language and creative skills, helping build the foundations for school readiness and lifelong learning.

Building on this focus on school readiness, CAMaL Ki Taiyari, in partnership with Pratham, uses School Readiness Melas to help children make a confident transition into formal schooling. Through engaging, play-based activities focused on foundational literacy, numeracy, language and socio-emotional development, the initiative helps children build the skills and confidence they need to begin school ready to learn. Importantly, it brings parents, caregivers, educators, government and youth volunteers into the process, recognising that preparing a child for school is a shared responsibility.

Ultimately, school readiness and foundational literacy and numeracy are not just about preparing children academically; they are about giving every child a strong start and the confidence to participate, learn and progress. When these foundations are strengthened early—and learning gaps are identified and addressed in time—children are better positioned to stay engaged with learning and prevent a momentary struggle from becoming a long-term setback. This is central to P&G Shiksha’s endeavour to #EraseTheLearningGap.

Q. Which approaches have you seen deliver measurable improvements in foundational learning, and what will it take to scale them across the public education system?

A. What has worked for us is starting with the child’s actual learning level, rather than assuming that every child in the same grade is at the same level. This is particularly important given the scale of the challenge—according to ASER 2024, more than 50% of Grade 5 students are unable to read a Grade 2-level text. Through community-based and in-school remedial learning, P&G Shiksha uses a Teaching at the Right Level approach, where children are grouped by their learning levels and supported through level-specific, activity-based learning. In 2024–25, the intervention impacted over 4 lakh children, with 80% of children in Grades 3–5 able to do basic arithmetic subtraction at the end of the intervention, compared with 37% at baseline.

Technology can further enable this personalised approach at scale. Through Mindspark, in partnership with Educational Initiatives, a child’s learning level is assessed and a customised learning path is created, allowing children to learn at their own pace. Sreeja’s journey from Telangana is a powerful example. Having entered Grade 5 struggling with English and Mathematics, and scoring 34 out of 80 in Maths, she used Mindspark for over 355 hours to rebuild her foundations. By Grade 8, her Maths score had risen to 75+, alongside a significant improvement in her confidence and participation.

The next question is scale. For us, scale is not simply about reaching more children; it is about building models that can be embedded within the public education system and sustained over time. This requires strong partnerships with government, teachers, communities and implementation partners; interventions that are evidence-led and measurable; and the flexibility to adapt to local learning needs. P&G Shiksha’s experience of working with government bodies, NGOs and communities demonstrates that when the right partnerships, pedagogy and technology come together, proven approaches can move from individual classrooms to larger systems—helping more children learn with understanding and ensuring that a learning gap does not become a long-term limitation.

Q. How can CSR move beyond infrastructure and learning resources to strengthen teacher capacity, classroom practice, and learning outcomes?

A. CSR has evolved significantly over the years—from supporting access and infrastructure to becoming a more transformative force for sustained social impact. P&G Shiksha has always evolved in step with the needs of the nation and the education system. Launched in 2005, even before the introduction of the CSR law, Shiksha began by addressing a fundamental need at the time—access to education and school infrastructure. As the country’s needs evolved, so did the programme.

Over more than two decades, Shiksha has moved from building schools to taking a more holistic approach focused on learning outcomes, foundational literacy and numeracy, and preventing and remediating learning gaps. Today, the programme positively impacts 1 crore children across thousands of schools and communities.

This evolution also means looking beyond physical infrastructure to what happens within and around the learning environment—how children’s learning levels are understood, how they are supported at their own pace, and how teachers, volunteers and communities are equipped to enable better learning. P&G Shiksha’s partnerships with organisations such as Pratham reflect this approach. CAMaL Ki Taiyari is a one-of-its-kind intervention using School Readiness Melas to strengthen foundational literacy, numeracy, language and socio-emotional skills, while bringing together families, educators, government and youth volunteers. It demonstrates how CSR can strengthen the wider learning ecosystem and build the capacity of communities to support children, particularly at critical transition points in their education.

Ultimately, CSR should complement and strengthen the public education system rather than operate alongside it. As the needs of the nation continue to evolve, CSR can play a meaningful role by investing in evidence-led, measurable and adaptable models, while building strong partnerships with governments, teachers, communities and implementation organisations. For P&G Shiksha, this has always been the journey—understanding the need on the ground, evolving the intervention, and bringing the right partners together to create sustained impact. The objective is not simply to provide resources, but to strengthen the ecosystem around every child so that better learning becomes possible, consistent and sustainable.

Q. What role do caregivers and communities play in sustaining children’s learning beyond the classroom, and how can CSR strengthen this support system?

A. Learning does not stop when a child leaves the classroom. Caregivers and communities can play a critical role in recognising learning gaps early, creating an encouraging environment and giving children opportunities to practise and continue learning at home. P&G Shiksha’s experience has shown that when adults move from labelling to listening, and from comparison to compassion, they can help children rebuild confidence and stay engaged with learning. This is why community participation is an important part of our approach to erasing learning gaps.

We have seen the power of this engagement through our work with mothers and community volunteers. Lata Tai’s journey is a particularly powerful example of how one intervention can create a ripple effect within a community. What began with her involvement in supporting children’s learning became a journey of transformation for her as well. After being away from education for several years, she returned to learning, completed Grade 10 and went on to become the village’s ASHA worker. Today, she continues to support children and other mothers in her community. Her story demonstrates that when communities are given the opportunity, tools and confidence to participate, they can become powerful enablers of learning.

This is where CSR can play a meaningful role—not by replacing the school system, but by strengthening the ecosystem around the child. By equipping parents, caregivers and community volunteers with simple, practical tools and structured approaches, CSR can help make learning a shared responsibility that extends beyond school hours. P&G Shiksha’s community-based interventions reflect this belief, bringing communities to the centre of the intervention and enabling them to play an active role in sustaining learning outcomes.

Q. What has P&G Shiksha’s two-decade journey, including its work with partners such as Pratham, taught you about building sustainable, scalable, and community-led education solutions?

A. Our 21+ year journey has taught us that sustainable education solutions must evolve with the needs of children, communities and the nation. When P&G Shiksha began in 2005, the priority was expanding access to education, and we focused on school infrastructure to address that need. As access improved, the challenge increasingly shifted towards ensuring that children were learning and progressing. Our approach evolved accordingly—from infrastructure to a holistic focus on learning outcomes, foundational literacy and numeracy, early childhood education, remediation and learning continuity.

It has also taught us that no single organisation can solve a challenge of this scale alone. Strong, long-term partnerships bring together different capabilities and perspectives to create solutions that are both relevant and scalable. With Pratham Education Foundation, we work on community-based and in-school learning models, including Teaching at the Right Level, as well as CAMaL Ki Taiyari, a one-of-its-kind School Readiness intervention that brings families, educators, government and youth volunteers together. With Educational Initiatives, we leverage technology through Mindspark to assess children’s learning levels and create personalised learning journeys. And through the P&G Shiksha Betiyan Scholarship, in partnership with Centre for Civil Society, we support learning continuity for underserved girls pursuing STEM education through financial assistance and mentorship.

The biggest lesson, therefore, is that scale is not simply about reaching more children—it is about building an ecosystem that can sustain impact. This means partnering with governments, NGOs, educators and communities; combining strong pedagogy with technology where relevant; measuring what works; and adapting interventions to local needs. P&G Shiksha’s journey has shown us that when each partner brings its distinctive strength and communities are made active participants, solutions can move from individual interventions to scalable models that strengthen the wider education system and create lasting impact.

Q. What did P&G Shiksha’s CAMal Ki Taiyari and summer interventions reveal about keeping children engaged with learning when they are away from school?

A. One of our key learnings has been that learning continuity does not have to replicate the classroom, especially during the summer. The summer break can actually be an opportunity to help children strengthen foundational skills and build confidence before they transition into the next academic year. This is not a new approach for P&G Shiksha; our summer interventions, including last year’s CAMaL Ka Camp, have demonstrated how the summer months can be meaningfully used to keep children engaged with learning. P&G Shiksha’s summer interventions, in partnership with Pratham, use engaging, activity-based approaches that bring learning to life through games, stories, conversations and hands-on activities, making it easier for children to participate and enjoy the process of learning.

One of the most heartening moments for me was visiting some of the summer camps and seeing mothers participate so actively alongside their children. Their enthusiasm, encouragement and ownership of the learning experience was incredibly impactful. It reinforced for me that when families become active participants—not just observers—in a child’s learning journey, the impact can extend well beyond the camp. This is also at the heart of CAMaL Ki Taiyari, a one-of-its-kind School Readiness intervention that uses School Readiness Melas to build foundational literacy, numeracy, language and socio-emotional skills, while bringing together parents, caregivers, educators, government and youth volunteers.

What this experience has reinforced for us is that engagement is an important enabler of learning. When children are given the opportunity to learn in ways that are interactive, relevant and suited to their learning levels, they are more likely to participate, build confidence and develop a positive relationship with learning. The summer period, therefore, can be more than a break from education—it can be an opportunity to strengthen foundational skills, bring families closer to the learning journey and help children return to school ready and confident to learn.

Q. If we put the child at the center of the education ecosystem, what should governments, CSR, civil society, and communities do differently to build more continuous and equitable learning journeys?

A. Putting the child at the centre means starting with where the child is today—understanding their learning level, recognising the barriers they may face and designing support around their individual needs, rather than expecting every child to progress through the system in the same way.

It also means recognising that continuity and equity require different strengths to come together. Governments can provide scale, policy direction and integration within the public education system; civil society can bring deep on-ground expertise and community understanding; CSR can enable innovation, build partnerships and support models that can be tested, measured and scaled; while caregivers and communities provide the everyday encouragement and reinforcement that helps learning continue beyond school. P&G Shiksha’s experience of working across these stakeholders has shown us that the strongest solutions are those that are built around the child but owned by the wider ecosystem. Our partnership-led interventions—from foundational learning with Pratham to personalised digital learning with Educational Initiatives and learning continuity through the Shiksha Betiyan Scholarship—reflect this approach.

We see this ecosystem approach come alive in different ways on the ground. For example, CAMaL Ki Taiyari brings families, educators, government and youth volunteers together around the shared objective of preparing children for formal schooling. The larger lesson for us is that equitable education cannot be delivered through a single intervention or institution. It requires alignment, shared ownership and sustained action across the ecosystem, so that every child—regardless of where they begin—has the opportunity to learn, build confidence and keep progressing.

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