Public-private collaboration is emerging as a powerful force in India’s education reform. From nutrition and foundational literacy to tech-led mapping of out-of-school children, a few non-profits are working closely with state governments to deliver solutions at scale. These partnerships reflect a shift from parallel service delivery to systems-level alignment.
Tech-led Identification of Out-of-School Girls
Educate Girls has signed MoUs with multiple state governments, including Telangana, to identify and re-enroll out-of-school girls using predictive technology. Their AI/ML-based model pinpoints villages with the highest concentration of out-of-school girls, enabling targeted outreach by field teams. This approach supports government mandates while expanding enrolment and retention in hard-to-reach areas.
Nutrition Support at Scale
Akshaya Patra works with 16 state governments and 3 union territories under the PM POSHAN Abhiyaan to deliver mid-day meals to over 2.25 million children every school day. These partnerships help ensure that nutrition remains a pillar of school attendance and learning, particularly in low-income and remote areas.
Scaling Digital Content and Learning Resources
Pratham has collaborated with 11 state governments to enable remote and digital learning, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Their content is integrated into state learning portals and platforms such as DIKSHA. The organisation also supports state-level content mapping and training for teachers, improving access to structured learning even in low-resource environments.
Systems Transformation from the Inside
Kaivalya Education Foundation works directly with government education departments to improve administrative leadership and school governance. Active in 27 states and 2 UTs, their programs reach over 3.8 lakh schools and influence more than 40,000 education officials. Their work strengthens in-system leadership, from school heads to district-level administrators.
Government-Aligned Literacy Programs
Room to Read collaborates with state education departments to embed early-grade reading programs within the government school system. Their structured literacy approach, teacher training modules, and reading material are co-developed with state councils and integrated into official curricula across states like Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand.
As government systems increasingly look to scale what works, these NGOs are helping bridge the gap between policy intent and on-ground implementation. Their work offers replicable models of how targeted collaboration can move the needle on access, quality, and equity in school education.
