Different Languages
Children may speak a home language or dialect while the classroom teaches in Marathi.
A Pioneering Educational Technology Initiative
Anandi Shikshan
Empowering Marginalized Children
Reaching children from marginalized communities with foundational literacy & numeracy through an engaging 100-hour curriculum.
The Challenge
When Foundational Skills Are Left Behind
Many children from tribal, rural and low-income urban communities reach school without strong foundations in reading, number sense or classroom language. Traditional, textbook-heavy teaching often struggles to reach them.
Started in 2022–23, Anandi Shikshan takes Educational Resource Center learning materials into classrooms, so children can build foundational literacy and numeracy — and so we can see what actually works.
Reading & Numbers Take Time
Without the right foundation, lessons in literacy and maths can feel out of reach.
Confidence Matters
When children cannot express what they know, they may hesitate to participate.
The Programme
One Curriculum. Every Community.
A 100-hour foundational curriculum, delivered in six hours a week, bringing Marathi, Maths and Environmental Studies to children in classes 1 to 5 through videos, songs, stories, activities and games.
Different Languages
Marathi language, Maths and Environmental Studies, taught through play rather than textbooks alone.
Delivered Digitally
Lessons, workbooks, DIKSHA videos and assessments run through the Happy Teacher App, so facilitators can record marks and track every child's progress.
Guided by Anandi Mitras
Trained Anandi Mitras bring the curriculum to life, supported by printed manuals and four hands-on training programmes.
Communities We Work With
Anandi Shikshan currently runs across 52 centres, reaching children from a wide mix of backgrounds:
8 hearing-impaired schools, including Nashik
8 under-resourced urban settlements, Pune
20 centres in Harali, Dharashiv
5 centres in Tasgaon, Sangli
11 Katkari hamlets, Sudhagad, Raigad
Children come from Matang, Vaidu, Banjara (Tanda) and Katkari communities, among others — every centre is shaped to fit the children it serves.
Our Approach
Learning That Feels Like Play
Every activity gives children a reason to look, think, talk and learn.
Chitrabhasha
Language through pictures — look, talk, finish a story, and grow grammar, thinking and values.
Storytelling
Create and share stories using pictures.
Card Games
Learn new words through simple, playful activities.
Speaking Practice
Practice words, sentences and everyday conversations.
Chitrakalp
A drawing book that helps children learn shapes and objects, then grow into confident little artists.
Learning Games
Explore, play and learn without the pressure of a test.
Our Impact
The Programme, In Real Classrooms
Every number here represents a child learning to read, count and speak up — and a facilitator who showed up to make it possible.
Together
In class
At home
Exhibition
Festival
Workshop
1,313
Children Reached
52
Learning Centres
100
Curriculum Hours
3
Subjects — Marathi, Maths & EVS
From the Field
Stories That Travel With the Children
Fairs, documentaries and exhibitions — the same curriculum, lived out in community.
Nadsur, Taluka Sudhagad, Raigad
Baljatra (Children's Fair)
A special Baljatra brought together 175 students from 11 Katkari settlements. The day celebrated learning through games, culture and academic assessments rooted in their context.
Raigad District
Voices from the Katkari Tribe
A documentary follows the lives and learning journey of the Katkari community in Raigad — and how Anandi Shikshan makes education inclusive and close to home.
G20 exhibition
Showcasing at the G20 Summit
The team presented Anandi Shikshan's inclusive education model to global delegates — local classrooms, on a world stage.
Voices
What Centres and Guides Notice
Teachers, coordinators and guides see the change in children — and in themselves.
The Anandi Shikshan project brought smiles to children's faces and instilled confidence in their hearts. This was not just educational — it was a collective journey of the village, teachers and children, towards joy, learning and a new path.
Suraj Rasal
Coordinator, Anandi Shikshan, Sangli Centre
I have watched these students since the start of the year, and the change is immense. They have learnt respect, hygiene, curiosity and critical thinking. Seeing Katkari children learn digitally — not only from a blackboard — helps bridge urban and rural inequality.
Abhijit Kapre
Centre Head, Jnana Prabodhini Harali
Children thoroughly enjoyed the workbook games. Videos helped them understand topics deeply. Through Chitrabhasha, they learnt to express themselves and discovered new ways to grow language skills.
Dr Kalyani Mandke
Guide, Anandi Shikshan