Building better classrooms,
One Teacher At A Time
Strengthening teaching practices, student engagement, and learning outcomes through sustained support for teachers, schools, and communities.
Why we start with teachers
Learning Gaps
Over 50% of Grade 5 students struggle with reading
While teacher attendance and syllabus coverage have improved, studies by ASER and Azim Premji Foundation highlight a deeper systemic gap: limited practical pedagogical skills in classrooms.
Teaching remains largely lecture-driven, with low student engagement, minimal formative assessment, and limited adaptation to diverse learning levels.
The teacher gap
1 in 5teachers in our SkillUp schools has a B.Ed., a teaching diploma or any teacher-training programme.
Teachers in low-resourced schools are often untrained, poorly paid, and work without proper structures.
Our research. Source: Aikarthya Foundation programme team, 2026.
What we see in classrooms
19–23%
of questions answered correctly by children in Grades 3 to 5, in English and Maths.
36%
on questions that ask children to apply what they learn, against 47% on recall: a sign of rote learning.
81.4%
of rural children in Grades 1 to 5 could not yet read a word.
Sources: Aikarthya SkillUp start-of-year assessment, August–September 2026 (703 students, 11 schools); Aikarthya reading baseline on the ASER scale, September 2026 (398 children, 8 rural government schools).
Through our work with 564+ teachers across 45 schools, we consistently observe that gaps in classroom engagement, teaching practices, and student participation are key barriers to learning.
Five ways we strengthen classrooms.
For school leaders
SkillUp LEAD
Helps in-charges and principals become instructional leaders who support teachers and drive school improvement.
For teachers
SkillUp
A classroom-based teacher development programme that focuses on improving real teaching practice, not just theory. Teachers grow through continuous coaching, feedback and mentoring.
For teachers
Super Teacher Fellowship
A two-year, full-time, paid fellowship. Young people from local communities are mentored and placed in under-resourced schools to build foundational literacy and numeracy.
For children
LitNum Library
Joyful reading spaces with levelled books, reading circles and book clubs that build a love for reading.
For children
Career Compass
Career awareness and guidance to explore pathways, courses and scholarships.
Our Values
- Trust
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Inclusion
- Continuous Learning
- Child-Centeredness
- Excellence
Our reach so far
50,591+
students
1,080+
teachers
60+
school leaders
113
partner schools
Students are at the centre of our work.
Around every child, we support their teachers, their school leaders and their schools, one ring at a time.
500+
offline workshops
70+
online sessions
1,915+
classroom observations
77+
volunteers
19+
interns
Our Partners
Government partner
Funding partners
Institutional partners
Incubators and network
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