Language and Learning Foundation

At the National Seminar on Multilingual Education: Strengthening Teacher Professional Development for the Inclusion of Children’s Most Familiar Languages through a Multilingual Approach, held on 30 April, Panel 4 brought together NGO partners and experts to reflect on the future directions of Teacher Professional Development in multilingual education.

“Across India, multilingualism takes diverse forms; without addressing it, no training in Foundational Literacy and Numeracy can be meaningfully conceived,” shared Saktibrata Sen from Room to Read India, underscoring the need for multilingual realities to be central to FLN efforts.

Building on this systemic perspective, Gauri Puranik from the British Council, India highlighted that “Multilingual Education is not a project; it is an educational framework embedded in learning, curriculum, assessment, Teacher Professional Development, and material development,” emphasising the need to view multilingualism as integral to the education system rather than as a standalone intervention.

Extending the discussion to classroom processes and teacher support, Smriti Mishra from Language and Learning Foundation reflected that “In multilingual education, trusting teachers is essential. Teacher Professional Development should move beyond initial hesitation to recognise and build on the possibilities emerging in classrooms.”

Together, the panel reflected on how multilingual education requires long-term institutional commitment, integrated teacher support, and trust in classroom practitioners to meaningfully respond to India’s linguistic diversity.

What does it take to strengthen foundational numeracy across diverse education systems?

A recent 3-day workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, organized by Mizizi Elimu Afrika, explored this question with Sunil Kushwaha, Lead, Numeracy, Language and Learning Foundation.

The workshop brought together participants from the Ministry of Education, universities, Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), Mizizi, teacher education colleges, and civil society organizations. It served as a platform for rich dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collaborative learning across diverse stakeholders.

During the workshop, Sunil led sessions focused on strengthening foundational numeracy, engaging participants in discussions around learning progressions, effective teaching strategies, and the design of lesson plans with clear, coherent, and explicit instructional steps.

Participants also expressed strong interest in understanding the implementation of India’s NIPUN program, its processes, structure, and systemic approach to improving foundational learning outcomes.

Mizizi Elimu Afrika’s efforts in bringing together practitioners, policymakers, and experts are highly commendable. Such collaborations are essential for building shared understanding and driving mission-oriented reforms in education.

At LLF, we remain committed to advancing foundational numeracy and literacy and to fostering global learning exchanges that enable cross-context learning and innovation.

A key takeaway from the workshop was the importance of strengthening core areas, understanding learning trajectories of mathematical concepts, using effective pedagogical practices, ensuring continuous assessment, and supporting children who are falling behind. Strengthening these areas, along with a shared vision, can significantly improve foundational numeracy outcomes.

Gates Foundation National Council of Educational Research and Training - NCERT Ministry of Education Central Square Foundation Nipun Bharat Mission / निपुण भारत मिशन

Language and Learning Foundation, in collaboration with the District Institute of Education and Training Khordha and with support from the District Education Officer-cum-District Project Coordinator Office, Khordha, conducted a 6-week blended mentor support course on Academic Support (Supportive Supervision), aimed at the capacity building of mid-tier officials.

The programme engaged 132 CRCCs (Cluster Resource Centre Coordinators) who support 750+ schools in the district. It focused on enhancing their understanding of the purpose and processes of classroom observation, and on developing their ability to observe, record, and analyse classroom practices effectively. Additionally, the course strengthened participants’ capacity to provide constructive and actionable feedback to teachers. The overarching objective was to improve classroom practices and thereby contribute to better learning outcomes for children.

The course was facilitated by Khordha DIET faculty members - Mausumi Mohanty, Rasmirekha Swain, Deeptiprava Dash, Mahesh Kumar Behera, Somya Das, Monalisha Panda, Ayesha Tanwir, and Sikha Siala - through structured weekly engagements and continuous follow-up support.

A total of 98% of participants successfully completed the course, indicating high levels of engagement and commitment.

The successful implementation of the programme was supported by the leadership of Dr. Tapas Kumar Nayak, Principal, DIET Khordha, and Sonalika Ray, DEO-cum-DPC, Khordha, along with the guidance of Dr. Sanatan Panda. This initiative demonstrates strong potential for scale-up at the state level.