‘The NEP Is Visionary, But We Need To Make Inclusion Doable, Not Daunting’

Khushboo Awasthi is the Co-founder and chief operating officer (COO) of ShikshaLokam, and Co-founder, Mantra4Change, both work in the field of education. While ShikshaLokam, founded in 2017, is an education leadership catalyst under the aegis of Advaith Foundation, Mantra4Change is working towards empowering education: Transforming public schools in India for a brighter future.

ShikshaLokam is a manifestation of social platform thinking, a systemic method to resolve complex societal challenges with speed, at scale, sustainably. As a catalyst for education leadership, ShikshaLokam co-creates different solutions with government functionaries, civil society organizations and academic bodies to address the education leadership challenges. Keeping the societal platform construct, ShikshaLokam works towards distributing the ability to solve the gaps that exist in education leadership development space and improving the agency of actors in the ecosystem to drive large scale educational change programmes.

Mantra4Change, on its parts, is working towards transforming school leadership for a child-centric future with a dedicated team of educators committed to addressing the gaps in leadership and organizational skills within schools. The mission is to develop innovative solutions, collaborate on improvement plans, and support sustainable change within school leadership and management. And the ultimate goal with which this organisation is run, is to ensure that schools remain focused on providing a child-centric learning environment.

Speaking to Bizz Buzz, Khushboo Awasthi - Co-founder & COO, ShikshaLokam, and Co-founder, Mantra4Change, explains what is education equity, what does inclusion-ready education leaders mean, if India is spending in the right direction in education field, whether the gap lies in policy framing or implementation, so on and so forth

We hear a lot about education equity today. But how do you define it, especially in the context of the Indian school system?

Education equity goes beyond providing the same resources to every child; it’s about ensuring each child gets what they need to succeed. In India, we still operate on highly standardised systems that assume all learners start at the same place and learn in the same way. But children bring different backgrounds, needs, and abilities into classrooms. True equity means we recognise that diversity and respond to it, not with a uniform solution, but with contextual support that allows every child to thrive. That includes those from marginalised communities, different linguistic backgrounds, and, crucially, children with disabilities.

India has strong policies like the NEP and RTE Act that support inclusive education. Why then, do we continue to see such a large gap in implementation?

That’s a crucial point. We don’t have a policy problem; we have an implementation problem. The National Education Policy, for instance, is visionary in its intent, but the challenge lies in translating that vision into the daily reality of schools. What’s missing is a middle layer of support. How do we help school leaders and educators turn policies into everyday practice? We’ve seen success when we work with education leaders to break big mandates into small, actionable steps, what we call micro-improvements. These might look like creating peer-learning models, adjusting assessment formats, or giving teachers planning tools. It’s about making inclusion doable, not daunting.

How are current education budgets and investments aligned with the needs of inclusive education? Are we spending in the right areas?

Unfortunately, most budget allocations still prioritise infrastructure and welfare, scholarships, uniforms, or assistive devices over actual learning support. While these are important, they don’t address what happens between a teacher and student during a lesson. We need more targeted investments in teacher training, curriculum design, and instructional tools that support differentiated learning. We often talk about digital transformation, well, inclusion should be treated with the same urgency and budgetary clarity. If we want systemic change, we have to start spending like we mean it.

How can we help schools and education leaders become more inclusion-ready without overwhelming them?

Start small, start local. Inclusion doesn’t have to mean revamping the whole system overnight. We encourage leaders to identify a few high-leverage practices, like flexible grouping, community engagement, or observation-based assessments, and embed those into their schools. When teachers see those small changes work, they gain confidence and ownership. Technology can also play a big role in democratising access to knowledge and best practices. Platforms that help teachers collaborate, share resources, or learn at their own pace can significantly accelerate this shift. It’s about building ecosystems of support, not adding more burden.

Looking ahead, what gives you hope about the future of inclusive education in India?

I think the growing collective consciousness is a big reason for hope. Whether it’s educators experimenting with new methods, state leaders showing willingness to adopt reforms, or civil society organisations co-creating tools, the momentum exists. We’re also seeing more collaboration across sectors, which is essential for sustainable change. The challenge is to maintain that momentum, build trust, and centre the voices of children and communities in everything we do. Inclusive education is not just the right thing to do — it’s the smart thing to do for India’s social and economic future.

You have a programme or initiative called ‘Shikshagraha’ under Mantra4Change. Could you please throw some light on that?

Shikshagraha is a people’s education movement dedicated to improving 1 million public schools in India by 2030, ensuring every child has access to quality education and the opportunity to dream and succeed. The movement brings together diverse stakeholders—government, civil society, markets, academia, and industry—to collaboratively address the challenges in the public education system through a micro-improvement approach and decentralized actions. By working alongside local actors, fostering collective action, and employing data-driven strategies, Shikshagraha aims to create an inclusive learning environment where every student, regardless of background, gender, or abilities, can thrive in the 21st century.

Having said this, I must mention here that we are engaged in transforming leadership, schools with speed, at scale and sustainably. Our flagship programme – School Transformation and Empowerment Programme focuses on closely working with schools and clusters towards improving the quality of education and continuous improvements across schools in India. STEP promotes collaboration among stakeholders in the education system – academic leaders, school heads, teachers, and the larger community, thereby working towards providing enriching learning experiences for every child in every public school of India. Implementation of school improvement initiatives in schools and clusters directly allows innovation and demonstration of school improvement.