P&G Shiksha Tackles Learning Gaps with Holistic Approach

India has made significant progress in getting children into school, but ensuring they are learning consistently is a more complex challenge. According to Enakshee Deva, Head of Corporate Communication and CSR at Procter & Gamble India, this requires looking beyond enrolment to foundational literacy and numeracy, as well as community participation and partnerships in education.

P&G Shiksha, the company's education initiative, has been working on building strong foundations for children to learn. The organisation's approach has shifted from focusing solely on access and school infrastructure to taking a more holistic approach centred on learning outcomes and conceptual understanding.

Deva explained that this shift is critical in identifying learning gaps early and providing timely support based on a child's actual learning level, rather than simply their age or grade. The organisation's collaborative approach includes partnerships with government bodies and NGOs such as Pratham Education Foundation to create an ecosystem that supports children throughout their learning journey.

P&G Shiksha has seen success in its interventions, including the CAMaL Ki Taiyari initiative, which uses School Readiness Melas to help children transition confidently into formal schooling. The programme brings together parents, caregivers, educators, government representatives, and youth volunteers to make communities active partners in a child's learning journey.

The organisation has also seen improvements in foundational learning through its Teaching at the Right Level approach, where children are grouped by their learning levels and supported through level-specific, activity-based learning. In 2024-25, the intervention impacted over 4 lakh children, with 80% of children in Grades 3-5 able to do basic arithmetic subtraction at the end of the intervention.