As a result of substantial efforts on the part of the Indian government, more than 200 million children from 6 to 14 years old are now enrolled in schools, with more than 70 percent of these estimated to be in government schools. Significant improvements have been made to school equipment and infrastructure, the number of teachers hired and trained, and the number of schools in rural areas. Yet the number of children who are not in school remains high and more than 50 percent leave elementary school before completion.

In addition, despite significant expenditure by the government on schooling, the achievement levels of children in both government and non-government schools are extremely low. We believe that in order to prepare our young people for participation in a modernising India, we must ensure that they receive the quality of education they deserve.

Learn more about ICICI Group's CSR in the area of elementary education.

In the area of elementary education, ICICI Foundation collaborates with and supports the work of ICICI Centre for Elementary Education (ICEE), an interdisciplinary organisation dedicated to improving the provision of elementary education in government schools in India.

ICEE focuses on improving the quality of education in government schools by working to improve teacher performance, advance curricular reform, build a discourse on education through research, and support the development of elementary education as an academic discipline in India.

Some of ICEE’s initiatives focus on:

Improving teacher performance – ICEE works to improve the support available to teachers and accurately measure the improvement in performance.

In Rajasthan’s Baran district, for example, ICEE has for the past three years worked through the government’s District Institute of Education and Training to provide the annual in-service training for government school teachers, in-school-in-classroom support to teachers and in building linkages between the school, the community and the district, block and cluster level government institutions. Learn more.

Curriculum and textbook development – ICEE works to improve processes of curricula and textbook design and development.

In Chhattisgarh, for example, ICEE has worked with the State Council for Education Research and Training (SCERT) to develop their school curriculum and textbooks. .

Capacity building of government institutions – ICEE works to enhance the capacities of District Institutes for Education and Training (DIETs), the Block and Cluster Resource Centres and the State Council for Education Research and Training (SCERT) at the state level.

ICEE’s work in Chhattisgarh, for example, has focused on improving the academic capabilities of the state government’s SCERT. Through ICEE’s efforts, the SCERT has focused on the areas of school curriculum development, textbook development, Diploma in Education (D.Ed.) curriculum development and pre-service teacher training (with the District Institutes for Education and Training). Better curriculum, new textbooks and better teacher training have helped to improve learning outcomes in classrooms.

Building partnerships resource centres and specialised partners – ICEE works to build resources and capacity in the area of elementary education through its long-term partnerships with organisations – ‘resource centres’ – and other specialised partners that develop teacher-learning material and training curricula, and work directly with schools and teachers, particularly those within the state system.

Resource centres

• Digantar (www.digantar.org)
• Eklavya Foundation (www.eklavya.in)
• Vidya Bhawan Education Resource Centre (www.vidyabhavansociety-seminar.org)

Specialised partners

• Centre for Learning Resources (CLR) (www.clrindia.net)
• Tulika (www.tulikabooks.com)
• Jana Sanskriti (www.janasanskriti.org)