Lok Sabha Question No. 1516 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-09
Subject: Progress and Future Roadmap under the NIPUN Bharat Mission
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Shashank Mani

## 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  29 th 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  20 th 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 NCFFS  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  4 th 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 para

5.2.8  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.

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