India’s school education system has seen multiple reforms since Independence, yet the crisis in learning outcomes persists. While access has expanded, with enrolment over 95% in most states, India’s foundational literacy remains low. The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) yet again highlights how nearly half of class 5 students struggle to read a simple class 2 text.
The problem is not new, but its urgency is only growing. Unlike China, which reaped the benefits of strategic investments in elementary education over decades in the 20th century, India is yet to take a data-driven approach to school education reform. The country’s absence from global assessments like the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) since 2009 only delays the reality check we need. Without a structured approach to assess and course-correct, systemic change will remain distant.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 acknowledges these gaps and proposes significant reforms — from third-party assessments to technology integration in K-12 (kindergarten to class 12). However, execution still lags. None of the four key themes of the NEP can be addressed in silos. An education system that struggles at the foundational and at an ecosystem level cannot be expected to deliver the structural transformation we need to meet the Viksit Bharat goal.
Against this backdrop, the role of private schools has expanded significantly. With the State gradually stepping back, private institutions have filled the gap. Today, over 50% of children in several states attend private schools of different types. Despite their growing presence, the sector remains fragmented, limiting the spread of innovation. Schools compete rather than collaborate, and successful models often remain confined to a handful of institutions.
But many private schools have also introduced multilingual education, international curricula, and global exposure, preparing students for an interconnected world. Collaborations with ed-tech companies have further redefined teaching and learning, making classrooms more engaging, personalised and future ready. These gains, however, are unevenly distributed, primarily benefiting urban, high-fee schools while leaving a vast majority of students behind.
A strategy driven by defining an elevated purpose and responsibility, reinforcing trust, promoting data-led public-private-private engagement is crucial.
Defining an elevated purpose and responsibility: Governments often deprioritise long-term systemic reform. This is where private schools must step up — not just in improving their own institutions but in shaping the broader ecosystem.While they run as social enterprises, most have the resources and flexibility to drive change. They must do so with a sense of responsibility that goes beyond commercial interests. And these schools, despite private ownership, must see themselves as essential partners in nation-building.
Reinforcing trust: Despite their contributions, private schools continue to be viewed with scepticism. The dominant narrative — and in many cases, rightly so — frames them as profit-driven entities. Regulatory policies often reinforce a transactional approach, limiting deeper collaboration. Yet, history shows that private initiatives have driven innovation in other sectors. The school system cannot afford to remain an exception.
Data-led engagement: We should change how the State, private schools, and edtech companies engage. A new model of partnership, built on performance orientation and shared accountability, is essential. While the State can create and transparently run such models, private schools too must move beyond their vendor mindset and work with private partners within an enabling framework that prioritises learning outcomes, competency-based education, and employability. We must bring in Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven assessments, adaptive learning, and personalised instruction to scale quality education. This is a long overdue need to drive innovation in India’s school education system.
The urgency to act cannot be overstated. India’s demographic window of opportunity is shrinking, and if it is to achieve the Viksit Bharat vision by 2047, school education must be reimagined. The role of private schools must go beyond being centres of academic instruction to becoming hubs of innovation, data-driven decision-making, and large-scale transformation. By reimagining how they engage, with more trust and an elevated sense of responsibility, they can address our learning crisis and create thousands of schools of the future.
Hemant Joshi is the CEO of Benesse India Pvt Ltd, an education enterprise, a subsidiary of Benesse, a Japanese education company, and Saubhagya Raizada is a Delhi-based policy researcher. The views expressed are personal
