India has long grappled with a profound learning crisis, exacerbated by the pandemic-induced learning loss, resulting in more setbacks than progress. In response, the Government of India launched the NIPUN Bharat mission in 2021, to establish an environment conducive to achieving universal foundational literacy and numeracy by 2026-27. However, the ASER 2023 Beyond Basics report reveals alarming statistics: 25% of 14 to 18 year olds struggle to read a Class 2 text, and 56% face challenges with division. Hence, it’s crucial to review the policy with a specific focus on its primary facilitators: teachers.
Under the mission, teachers are gradually redirected towards an evidence-based structured pedagogy approach with clear learning objectives, well-structured tools and practical training to transact the curriculum. However, teacher adoption of the programme and its components remains low. A 2014 article (McGoey, Kara E., et al.) on teacher perceptions of barriers to implementing evidence-based practices found that various challenges, including inadequate resources, time constraints, and lack of training, can adversely impact teacher capacity and motivation. An exploratory diagnostic exercise in 2023 in select rural districts to better understand this in India’s context revealed an intertwined mix of cognitive biases and systemic issues.
Deep dive
To facilitate the adoption of effective pedagogy and help with classroom preparation, teachers are provided with a manual of lesson plans called the Teacher Guide (TG). Training on using the guide and the underlying teaching methods is provided through a cascade model. While efficient for training many teachers quickly, this model is sometimes susceptible to transmission loss, resulting in knowledge gaps and fragmented adoption of prescribed practices. Moreover, yearly changes to teaching aids, although implemented to enhance these resources, can affect teachers’ confidence in their proper usage. Additionally, while technology is being leveraged for communicating programme updates, it is a double-edged sword. Receiving numerous resources through multiple communication channels (apps) can result in information overload, leading to engagement with the programme solely for compliance rather than actual application.
In such situations, teachers may demonstrate status quo bias and an unwillingness to invest in new techniques due to the belief that changes would not be permanent. Additionally, the top-down nature of training and disproportionate focus on compliance may affect their’ agency and lower motivation to take ownership of the programme. If teachers do not feel in control, they are less likely to accept accountability for low learning levels. A 2021 analysis of systemic drivers of foundational learning outcomesalso highlighted that stakeholders, including teachers, attribute low learning to factors like low parental support and administrative burden.
To provide ongoing guidance to teachers, state governments appoint mentors to conduct frequent school visits and help teachers reflect on their classroom practices. However, they are often tasked with supporting too many teachers and struggle with limited time and capacities, which inhibits the cultivation of personalised mentor-mentee relationships. A case study on the Teacher Development Coordinator Programme in Delhi (2021) also highlighted early teacher apprehension regarding outsiders — who were viewed as evaluative rather than supportive — observing their classrooms.
Overload
Another issue is teachers experiencing cognitive overload due to balancing teaching and non-teaching responsibilities. This is compounded by complex or changing programme instructions, focus on compliance, and limited user-friendliness of resources such as TGs. According to a 2019 report by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights and Accountability Initiative, teachers expressed that non-teaching duties ate into their teaching hours, often affecting teaching quality and student relationships.
The burden of the NIPUN mission falls heavily on teachers. Energising them necessitates policies that position them as integral members of a collective effort toward achieving this goal. Prioritising community and parental engagement is essential, not only for their direct impact on student learning but also to ensure teacher motivation. Districts in Bihar are leading the way by setting up NIPUN Gram Sabhas to drive student attendance and parental engagement.
While it is heartening to see the commitment to improving programme materials, it is crucial to recognise user fatigue associated with new tools and resources. Programmatic adaptations should reduce cognitive overload by simplifying instructions. Revisions should be strategically grouped, implemented, and communicated to encourage uptake.
Several issues impact teachers’ perceptions and attitudes. The key question remains, “How does a country with one of the largest education systems design and implement a decentralised programme without making compliance the driving force?” Programmes at scale will inevitably have some chinks in the armour, such as the transmission loss in teacher training cascades. It is in this balancing act that behaviour science communication and interventions have the potential to move the needle, albeit slightly, but in the right direction. We can change the communication to make it more purposeful and encouraging. We should build teacher investment by appreciating and recognising their efforts and aligning them with simple, actionable steps to improve teaching. We should avoid message overload and leverage technology platforms to highlight achievements and foster community spirit with a dash of healthy competition.
Views expressed are personal.
Sonal Garg is Senior Research Associate at Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC), Ashoka University. Sneha Shashidhara is Senior Research Fellow at CSBC, Ashoka University. Kanika Timar is Consultant at Central Square Foundation.
