Every Child Deserves a Chance to Learn: The Real Story of Education in India

Laxmi is just seven years old. Every morning, she heads off to her school in Chitri Block, Dungarpur, Rajasthan, with her best friend Swapna. For them, school isn't just a place to study; it's where they laugh, learn, and grow together. But sadly, stories like theirs aren't the norm for every child in India.

Even though every boy and girl has a right to quality education, the reality on the ground paints a different picture. Many children still face classrooms that rely heavily on rote learning, lack basic infrastructure, and even worse, subject students to punishment or discrimination. These aren't just barriers to learning; they're reasons why children drop out, ending up vulnerable to child labour, abuse, or worse.

Learning assessments have consistently shown that being in school doesn't always mean real learning is happening. A large number of students struggle with basic reading and arithmetic. The Right to Education Act promises more, but implementation remains patchy.

The good news? Change is possible. According to ASER 2016, for the first time in a decade, early-grade reading and math skills improved in government schools in seven states. That’s no small feat. It tells us progress is possible with the right focus and effort. Yet, by grade 5, more than half of students still can't read a grade 2 text fluently (ASER 2018), and only 45% meet expected standards across subjects (NAS 2017).

States with high populations of marginalized communities—like Rajasthan, Bihar, UP, and Jharkhand—often show the weakest outcomes. Girls, however, are slowly narrowing the gap, sometimes even outperforming boys in assessments.

The real issue? Assessments are being done, but they're not always being used to fix what’s broken. Numbers get collected, reports are written, and little changes on the ground.

It’s not just about literacy and numeracy either. A truly good education helps children develop life skills, confidence, creativity, and the emotional intelligence they need to thrive in the real world. Unfortunately, most schools still struggle to link these skills with their traditional syllabi. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 highlights this gap and stresses "learning by doing" as a way forward.

Then came COVID-19.

The pandemic shut down schools across India. For months, learning moved online—but only for those who had the privilege of access. Rural kids, tribal children, students from low-income families or with disabilities were left behind. The World Bank estimates that just five months of closure set back effective learning by 0.6 years. That means students who should have been at 7.9 years of learning effectively dropped to 7.3.

In response, state and central governments scrambled to provide remote learning—via apps, WhatsApp, YouTube, TV, and radio. But it wasn’t enough. One-third of schools in India have basic computer labs, but internet access remains rare in many homes. In rural areas, only 13% of people over age five can even use the internet, compared to 37% in cities. And hardware access? That’s another story. Many children don’t own smartphones. And when they do, connectivity is a problem.

Girls and children from marginalised communities suffer the most from this digital divide.

UNICEF has stepped up to help. Their focus remains on improving early-grade education and helping students transition into secondary school. They’re working with state governments to expand access to digital learning tools, train teachers, and use tech to strengthen the education system—but with a clear understanding: technology is a tool, not a replacement for teachers.

The NEP 2020 is a turning point, and UNICEF is supporting curriculum reform, new assessment models, stronger foundational learning, and life skills development. It’s about building an education system where children learn with joy, dignity, and real purpose.

Because every child, no matter where they're born, deserves more than just a classroom. They deserve a future they can believe in.