Around 2000, one of the biggest challenges facing the Indian school education system was the large number of “out of school” children. The estimates of the number ranged from 39 to 59 million. The Public Report on Basic Education in India offered a decent analysis of reasons for children not attending school. When the Azim Premji Foundation began its work, the initial agenda revolved around enrolment, attendance and learning. In fact, our first two large programmes were entirely focussed on enrolment of “out of school children”.
While working on the ground, we interacted with various stakeholders. . .
