The Challenge
Teachers matter most to student learning,
but teaching quality is poor in India.
Against the Current: Sanskruti's Fight for Literacy
In the heart of rural Chandrapur, Maharashtra, ten-year-old Sanskruti carried a silent burden into her fourth-grade classroom. She couldn't recognise the alphabet. Her lack of literacy skills and crippling shyness threatened to derail her educational journey before it truly began. As the first girl in her family to attend school, she had minimal educational support at home. Her parents worked as daily farm labourers in the surrounding cotton fields.
Sanskruti was fortunate to find a teacher like Mahesh Sorte, who recognised her learning needs. Using strategies he learned through CEQUE’s training and support, he embarked on a patient, step-by-step approach. Through this, he not only addressed foundational literacy needs but also created a supportive, encouraging environment, which began dismantling the wall of silence around her.
Sanskruti slowly but surely unlocked her potential to learn and engage with the world around her. This year, she was a prominent part of the Seekhe India Utsav, where she welcomed the visitors, showed them around, and even eloquently presented the projects displayed. Today, she voluntarily participates in cultural programs and has emerged as a class leader, who helps anyone struggling the way she once did.
Sanskruti’s challenges weren't unique
Over half of 10-year-olds cannot read a simple story; three-fourths face difficulty with basic math operations. According to a World Bank Report, if children do not learn to read by the age of 10, the doors of learning are most likely shut for them, forever.
Every child deserves a quality education. For the poorest, quality education is the stepping stone out of intergenerational poverty that can enable their children a future with dignity and potential. And an educated citizenry is the bedrock for economic growth and a just society.
Teachers matter most to student learning…but teaching quality is poor.
Good teachers make a fundamental difference not just to students’ outcomes in school but over their lifetimes as well. Academic research supports this. Research from Harvard and Columbia Universities reveal that an effective teacher improves students’ lifetime earnings by $250,000 per classroom.
How does teacher quality fare in India?
Unfortunately, not well at all.
One in six elementary school teachers is not professionally trained. In 2024, only 20.16% of teachers cleared the government eligibility test for teaching.
Even in the best classrooms of schools in underprivileged settings, teachers commonly teach textbook chapters through lectures, using chalk-and-talk methods. It is rare to see students learning through reasoning, discussion, enquiry, experimentation, application or collaboration. Students learn by rote, memorise facts for examinations and learn no meaningful knowledge or skills for life.
At CEQUE, we're working to change the current system. Our experience shows that most teachers are eager to improve their teaching, but often lack the guidance and support they need. Current professional development opportunities are limited and often ineffective. CEQUE is challenging the existing norms in education by empowering teachers with meaningful learning. We bridge the gap by offering high-quality learning experiences and ongoing support to teachers in government schools—so that every child receives the education they rightfully deserve.
