Policy Update
Shivali Yadav
BACKGROUND
On 29 July, 2021, Vidya Pravesh was launched by the Prime Minister to commemorate one year of the NEP ( National Education Policy) 2020. This is a 3-month play-based school preparation programme being offered in all States and UTs for children making the transition to Grade I and is an integral part of Samagra Shiksha-School Education Sector, which fortifies the NIPUN (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy ) Bharat Mission under the Ministry of Education, Govt.
The programme is in line with the Foundational purpose of NEP 2020. All School Education hinges on Building Foundations of Learning with respect to Literacy and Numeracy(FLN). The program was launched as a response to the unprecedented disruptions of COVID-19, which interrupted early childhood education and exacerbated school readiness inequities.
The extent of this disruption is reflected in enrolment trends; pre-primary enrolments fell by 29.1 lakh and Class I enrollments reduced by 18.8 lakh during the year (2020–21), indicating a stark reversal of pathways for children transitioning into formal schooling stages, Furthermore, the proportion of government-school children in Standard III able to read a Standard II-level text fell from 20.9% in 2018 to 16.3% in 2022, reflecting substantial learning losses in the very age group that Vidya Pravesh seeks to support.
Government estimates further indicated that over five crore elementary school children had not attained the expected foundational learning levels. Against this backdrop, Vidya Pravesh aims to ensure a smooth transition into formal schooling for all children entering Grade I, irrespective of their preschool background. Implemented during the first twelve weeks of the academic session, the programme adopts play-based, activity-oriented, and experiential learning to strengthen children’s cognitive, language, physical, and socio-emotional development in alignment with the NCERT Balvatika (Preschool-3) learning outcomes.
Fig. 1: Transaction Stage of Vidya Pravesh sh
FUNCTIONING
Vidya Pravesh is built around three things that it wants to achieve for kids: it wants to help kids be healthy and happy, it wants to help kids talk and communicate better, and it wants to help kids learn and be curious about the world around them. Instead of just sitting in a classroom and listening to a teacher, Vidya Pravesh uses play and fun activities like telling stories, singing rhymes, playing games, making art, and talking to teachers to help kids learn. This way of learning is good for kids because it is fun and it helps them learn in a way that’s easy for them to understand.
Vidya Pravesh also knows that India is a country with many different languages and cultures. So it lets each state and area make the programme its own by adding things that are special to that place. For example, Jammu & Kashmir calls its programme “Vidyarambh” and Delhi uses it with something called Mission Buniyad to help kids learn the basics. This means that each state can make sure that Vidya Pravesh is helping kids in a way that’s just right for them while still following the main goals of Vidya Pravesh.
The quality of implementation is not the same in all states. For example, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have started checking what is happening in classrooms and doing tests to see how much children are learning.. Other states do not have these systems in place. There is also a problem with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, which is in charge of anganwadis, not working well with other parts of the government. The government has a plan to work together to implement this. The NCERT makes the curriculum and guidelines. Then the SCERTs change them so they work for each state.
The Samagra Shiksha program helps make sure this plan is carried out. Teachers are trained through the National Initiative for School Heads. Teachers’ Holistic Advancement, which is also called NISHTHA-FLN and NISHTHA. The DIKSH platform provides tools to help with teaching and learning. The NIPUN Bharat Mission checks on how everything is working by looking at academic and administrative indicators. This helps people in charge make decisions based on facts and assess what is working and what is not. The NIPUN Bharat Mission and the National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement, such as NISHTHA, are important for the implementation of the curriculum and guidelines made by the NCERT.
However, the quality of implementation differs from state to state. Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have started checking classrooms and conducting large-scale tests to see how students are doing. This is not happening all over the country. Another problem is that the Ministry of Women and Child Development, which looks after anganwadis, and the Ministry of Education, which handles school education, do not work well together.
This makes it hard for kids to move from preschool to grade 1. Also, the money spent on teacher training under Samagra Shiksha has been going down since 2019-20. Many schools do not have a digital setup, with less than half of them having proper ICT facilities. These are some of the issues that hinder implementation.
Overall, Vidya Pravesh gives a plan for getting kids ready for school through learning by playing and working with schools. But for Vidya Pravesh to really work in the run, we need to focus on a few key areas. Better training for teachers is crucial so they can make the most of Vidya Pravesh. Different government departments need to work more effectively to support Vidya Pravesh. We need to make sure Vidya Pravesh is implemented in a way across all states. Improving the setup will also help Vidya Pravesh succeed. The success of Vidya Pravesh depends on these factors.
Fig. 2: Activity or Interest Areas
PERFORMANCE
Assessing the performance of Vidya Pravesh independently is difficult because it does not have a separate budget and is funded under the foundational stage / ECCE component of Samagra Shiksha. Government investment in Samgra Siksha has remained strong, with allocation increasing from ₹37,453 crore in 2023–24 to ₹42,100 crore in 2026–27, reflecting continued emphasis on foundational learning. However, delays in fund release remain a concern, with only 17% of the 2024-25 allocation released to states by August 2024.
Although programme- specific data are limited, broader evidence from the NIPUN Bharat Mission indicates encouraging progress. According to ASER 2024, grade 3 students recorded a 7 percentage point improvement in reading and basic subtraction, with numeracy levels exceeding pre-pandemic performance. State-level achievements also reflect positive outcomes. In Uttar Pradesh, 48,061 of 64,688 schools were certified as NIPUN Vidyalayas in 2024–25, while Punjab ranked first in both the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 and PARAKH Assessment 2024 (Central Square Foundation, 2025; Lee, Nanda & Kaul, 2026).
However, these improvements represent the collective impact of the broader NIPUN Bharat ecosystem, including teacher training, assessment, and learning resources, rather than Vidya Pravesh alone. The absence of a dedicated budget, programme-specific monitoring and independent impact evaluation makes it difficult to isolate the scheme’s contribution. Strengthening evidence-based evaluation and transparent reporting will be essential for assessing its long-term effectiveness.
Table 1: Samagra Shiksha Budget and FLN/Vidya Pravesh Milestones
| Year | Samagra Shiksha Allocation (₹ crore) | Share of MoE Budget | Key FLN / Vidya Pravesh Development |
| 2023-24 | 37,453 (BE) | 33% | Third academic cycle of Vidya Pravesh; NISHTHA-FLN teacher training continues |
| 2024-25 | 37,010 | 51% of DoSEL | ASER 2024 records largest FLN recovery in two decades |
| 2025-26 | 41,250 (BE) | 32% of MoE | UP’s third-party NIPUN Vidyalaya Assessment covers 64,688 schools |
| 2026-27 | 42,100 (BE) | 30% of MoE | Final run-up to the 2026-27 universal FLN target under NIPUN Bharat |
Source: PRS Legislative Research, Demand for Grants Analyses (2023-24 to 2026-27); Central Square Foundation (2025).
IMPACT
Vidya Pravesh has helped to improve the basics of learning for kids, which’s a big part of the NIPUN Bharat mission. The ASER 2024 report says that Vidya Pravesh has made improvements in reading and math skills over the past twenty years. It has also helped kids get on track after the pandemic disrupted their learning.
The people in charge of Vidya Pravesh want kids to learn through play, which is what the NEP 2020 plan says should happen. This way, kids can easily move from preschool to school, which is what the people at NCERT said in 2021.
The thing is, Vidya Pravesh, is not working the same everywhere. Some places, like Uttar Pradesh, have their plans, like Mission Prerna, which have made Vidya Pravesh work better. However, some areas are still struggling to teach kids the basics of reading and math.
Vidya Pravesh has also made it easier to keep track of how kids are doing in the early grades. They do this by testing kids at the beginning of the year and using a list of 22 things to check on. This helps make sure that the people in charge are doing a job and that they have a plan based on facts.
If we look at the picture, kids who learn the basics of reading and math when they are young will probably do better in life and be less likely to be poor. We cannot say that Vidya Pravesh is the only reason for this. Since Vidya Pravesh is part of the NIPUN Bharat plan, which includes things like NISTHA training, we need to study it more carefully to see how well it really works.
Emerging Issues
- TEACHER CAPACITY AND CONVERGENCE: Teacher training and classroom implementation vary considerably across states, while coordination between Anganwadi-based preschool education and grade1 schooling remains weak.
- SUGGESTION: Standardise NISHTHA-FLN training for all Grade I teachers and strengthen collaboration between the Ministries of Education and Women & Child Development.
- INFRASTRUCTURE AND FUNDING: limited ICT infrastructure and delays in the release of Samagra Shiksha funds affect the timely availability of learning resources and classroom implementation.
- SUGGESTION: Improve digital infrastructure, provide offline learning materials where required, and ensure timely fund disbursement before the academic session begins.
- REGIONAL DISPARITIES: Significant differences in learning outcomes persist across states, particularly in educationally disadvantaged regions.
- SUGGESTION: Allocate additional financial, academic, and multilingual learning support to low-performing districts to promote equitable foundational learning outcomes.
- INDEPENDENT EVALUATION: Vidya Pravesh lacks an independent programme-specific evaluation, making it difficult to distinguish its impact from the broader NIPUN Bharat Mission.
- SUGGESTION: Commission rigorous impact assessments to measure the programme’s contribution to foundational learning outcomes.
WAY FORWARD :
To strengthen the effectiveness of Vidya Pravesh, the Government should undertake independent impact evaluations to assess its specific contribution to foundational learning. Universal and certified Grade I teacher training should be institutionalised, alongside stronger coordination between Anganwadi (Balvatika) and primary schools, to ensure a smooth transition for children. Gender investment in training and ECCE and Samagra Shiksha, improved digital and offline learning resources, timely release of funds, and targeted support for low-performing districts are also essential.
In addition, integrating ASER, NAS, and PARAKH data into a real-time monitoring system would strengthen evidence-based policymaking and programme implementation. These measures will help Vidya Pravesh contribute more effectively to the Sustainable Development Goal (quality education), the NIPUN Bharat Mission’s universal FLN targets, and the vision of Vikshit Bharat 2047.
References:
Central Square Foundation. (2025). India’s Progress Engine: The Groundwork Behind NIPUN Bharat Mission. https://www.centralsquarefoundation.org/
Chandra, R. (2023). Vidya Pravesh: A Signpost to Bridge the Learning Gap. Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India. https://dsel.education.gov.in/
Department of School Education & Literacy. (n.d.). NIPUN Bharat (Foundational Literacy and Numeracy). Ministry of Education, Government of India. https://dsel.education.gov.in/nipun-bharat
Foundation for Responsive Governance (ResGov). (2025). Trends in Finances for Samagra Shiksha. Budget Insights, Vol. 2, Issue 10. https://resgov.org/
Lee, J., Nanda, A., & Kaul, R. (2026). The Changing Landscape of Education in India. Ideas for India. https://www.ideasforindia.in/
National Council of Educational Research and Training. (2021). Vidya Pravesh: Guidelines for Three-Month Play-Based School Preparation Module for Grade I. https://ncert.nic.in/pdf/vidya-pravesh.pdf
Odisha TV. (2021). NCERT Issues Vidya Pravesh Guidelines for Play-Based School Module. https://odishatv.in/
Press Information Bureau. (2021). Foundational Literacy and Numeracy — NIPUN Bharat. Ministry of Education, Government of India. https://pib.gov.in/
PRS Legislative Research. (2023). Demand for Grants 2023–24 Analysis: Education. https://prsindia.org/budgets/parliament/demand-for-grants-2023-24-analysis-education
PRS Legislative Research. (2024). Demand for Grants 2024–25 Analysis: Education. https://prsindia.org/budgets/parliament/demand-for-grants-2024-25-analysis-education
PRS Legislative Research. (2025). Demand for Grants 2025–26 Analysis: Education. https://prsindia.org/
PRS Legislative Research. (2026). Demand for Grants 2026–27 Analysis: Education. https://prsindia.org/
State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Delhi. (n.d.). NIPUN Bharat. https://scert.delhi.gov.in/
About the Contributor:
Shivali Yadav is pursuing an M.A. in Liberal Studies at Govind Ballabh Pant Social Science Institute, Prayagraj, and is an IMPRI intern. Her work focuses on gender, education, youth, and public policy.
Acknowledgement
The author extends her sincere gratitude to the IMPRI team for their invaluable guidance throughout the process.
Disclaimer
All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
Reviewers
Paridhi Passi, Ameya Sushilchandra Satam
