Project SATH-E: Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital-Education

Education plays a key role in the development of any nation. For India, high-quality education is paramount to fully harness its demographic dividend. Education not only sustains but also boosts India's economic growth. India boasts of the world's largest school network, comprising approximately 1.5 million schools with enrolment exceeding 260 million students. Despite the successful implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, ensuring nearly universal access, the quality of education remains a challenge. According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2019, more than 60% of Grade I students struggle with basic oral word problems, and only half of Grade III children can read at Grade I level. The National Achievement Survey (NAS) indicates low average scores in various grades and subjects, urging NITI Aayog to launch project Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital-Education (SATH-E) in 2017. This initiative, operating in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, aims to drive improvements in learning outcomes through innovative approaches in assessments, teacher and leadership training and curriculum development. Despite a decade of efforts, progress in enhancing the quality of school education has been limited, underlining the need for bold initiatives such as project SATH-E. This blog will provide an overview of the objectives, overview, and impact of the flagship project SATH-E.

Project SATH-E: Transforming school education in India

NITI Aayog initiated Project SATH-Education to illustrate the potential and challenges involved in implementing substantial measures to enhance the quality of education.

Launched in 2017, Project SATH-E aims to support three states (Jharkhand, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh) in undertaking comprehensive transformation efforts with a focus on enhancing education quality. The SATH-E initiative operates through formal agreements with states and will be financed through a collaborative funding model between NITI Aayog and the participating states.

It is designed as a programme to revolutionise elementary and secondary school education in three states. The project management unit engaged Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership (PFEL) as partners, offering technical expertise and aiding project implementation, with dedicated teams stationed in the respective states. The first phase of the project spanned from September 2017 to March 2020, during which a detailed roadmap was developed for each state. The diagnostic phase involved over 250 school visits and consultations with all stakeholders. Subsequently, interventions were initiated in April 2018, encompassing programmes addressing Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) gaps, alongside structural and governance improvement initiatives. In response to the states' requests to continue these efforts, phase 2 of project SATH-E formally commenced in October 2020.

Project approach and initiatives

Five key principles guided the design and implementation of the transformation roadmap for each state:

• Comprehensive roadmap for structural, academic, and governance and accountability reforms: The approach to systemic change is non-linear, addressing multiple foundational issues simultaneously to bridge learning gaps. Given the constraints in absorption and execution capacities at both the state and school levels, the project's phased roadmaps pinpointed 10–12 key initiatives per state to prioritise for optimal impact.
• Iterative design based on implementation feedback: Initial programme designs drew on field observations, expert consultations and benchmarking. However, the scale of implementation brought various challenges and insights to light. Therefore, a balance between providing enough time for thorough understanding and execution of initiatives and maintaining flexibility to adjust to improve effectiveness is necessary.
• Institutionalising outcome-focused decision-making through data: The primary objective is to shift the system-wide focus from inputs to outcomes. This is achieved by consistently collecting, analysing and utilising data on inputs, outputs and outcomes, ensuring the data collection process is manageable and the data is reliable and relevant for governance and initiative management.
   
• Engagement of expertise through strategic partnerships: Project SATH-E introduced relevant expertise to the states through strategic collaborations. This approach led to significant partnerships, for example, with Bodh Shiksha Samiti for remedial workbooks, the Centre for Science of Student Learning (CSSL) for third-party assessments, and education initiatives to enhance the assessment cell. These partnerships vary from pro-bono contributions to service engagements facilitated by state-run Request for Proposal (RFP) processes.
• Fostering state ownership and capacity for long-term sustainability: From its inception, the project is framed as a state-driven initiative, with states taking ownership of the roadmaps and leading the execution with support from knowledge partners and external experts. Each initiative is managed by a designated departmental ‘initiative-owner’ responsible for reporting progress to state leadership in State Project Monitoring Unit (SPMU) meetings. The emphasis is on enabling department teams to lead execution efforts, prioritising sustainable impact over the speed and immediacy of results.

The strategic roadmaps for each state under Project SATH-E encompassed initiatives across three categories of reforms: structural, academic, and governance and accountability. The following summary highlights select initiatives implemented within these reform categories across the participating states.

Source: NITI Aayog

Impact of project SATH-E

The impact of Project SATH-E was consistently and systematically monitored at the initiative level. Additionally, the overall performance of the states was assessed through various external metrics such as NAS scores, performance grading index (PGI) scores and the performance of aspirational districts.

Performance Grading Index

The PGI offer insights into the status of school education in states and union territories, highlighting key factors influencing their performance and crucial areas for improvement. Overall, the PGI performance of all three states notably and consistently improved. Between 2017 and 2021,

• Jharkhand progressed from Grade V in 2017–18 to Grade I in 2020–21.
• Odisha advanced two levels, transitioning from Grade III to Grade I+.
• Madhya Pradesh inched up one level, moving from Grade III to Grade II.

Source: Ministry of Education

The interventions led to better growth in Jharkhand and Odisha than Madhya Pradesh. The PGI at national level enhanced at CAGR of 5.6% over FY18-FY21 compared to 9.0% for Jharkhand, and 6.2% for Odisha. However, Madhya Pradesh’s PGI advanced at a modest CAGR of 2.7% during this period.

Learning outcomes

The performance of the states was analysed in the NAS as well as in the recently conducted National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN) Bharat Foundational Learning study. While reviewing the subsequent results, acknowledging that the design and administration methodologies of different assessments may vary is important.

As measured by the NAS, the relative ranks of the SATH-E states improved. For example, Madhya Pradesh moved up 18 places (from rank 22 in NAS 2017 to rank 4 in NAS 2021 for Grade III Maths) and Odisha moved up 14 places (from rank 21 in NAS 2017 to rank 7 in NAS 2021 for Grade III Maths). Notably, Jharkhand performed exceptionally well in the NIPUN Bharat Foundational Learning study conducted in 2022, with 68% of students meeting or exceeding the global minimum proficiency in numeracy (compared to a 52% national average) and 66% in language (compared to a 54% national average).

Impact of Select Interventions Across the Three States:

Jharkhand

• Approximately 4,380 schools were successfully merged, resulting in an estimated cost savings of US$ 48.3 million (Rs. 400 crores) through reduced teacher and infrastructure requirements. A study by IIM Ranchi revealed a 20–50% increase in subject-wise teacher availability.
• A unique school certification scheme was introduced, using third-party assessors to evaluate and certify schools.
• Two new primary teacher cadres were created, with calibrated grade-pays. Approximately 21,000 new positions were established for intermediate teachers, and around 29,000 new posts were created for graduate trained teachers.
• Over 1 lakh teachers underwent training on the remedial learning approach.
• Shaikshik Samvaad, a peer-to-peer learning platform, was initiated for teachers, with over 95% finding it beneficial for improving teaching and learning. Additionally, a Teacher Needs Assessment was piloted.
• The conceptualisation and launch of eVidyaVahini (eVV) included approximately 16 modules, incorporating web portals for generating learning reports, scheme monitoring, civil works and more.
• SATH-E aims to designate 4,400 schools as leader schools by 2026, providing Grades I–XII along with high-quality infrastructure and resources. This operationalisation will occur in three phases: 80 in phase 1, 324 in phase 2 and around 4,000 in phase 3.

Madhya Pradesh

• A strategic initiative led to the consolidation of 35,000 schools into 16,000 same-campus schools.
• Following the merger, 55% of the combined schools now have a headmaster/principal, a notable increase from the previous 20%.
• Post-consolidation, only 21% of the merged schools teach more than two grades in a class compared to the statewide average of 35%.
• This restructuring has resulted in a more efficient school monitoring load, reducing the number of schools per cluster officer by an average of 4.
• Over 600 middle schools were upgraded to secondary schools in areas with limited accessibility.
• The introduction of Dakshata Unnayan resulted in daily remediation programmes for students in Grades I–VIII to address learning gaps.
• An online teacher rationalisation process transparently rationalised approximately 8,000 teachers.
• Simultaneously, over 13,000 new teachers were recruited, contributing to the enhancement of the teaching workforce.
• A comprehensive training programme involved more than 2 lakh teachers in adopting a remedial learning approach.
• The Shaala Darpan school monitoring app was launched, ensuring over 95% compliance with school visits and leveraging data for real-time progress tracking of initiatives.
• The conceptualisation of CM RISE schools aims to develop approximately 9,000 exemplar leader schools over a decade.
• The inaugural CM RISE School posted a remarkable 30% increase in enrolment.
• CM Rise Grade X students achieved a 67% average passing rate, surpassing the state average by 5%.

Odisha

• About 2,000 small-scale and same-campus schools were successfully merged, guided by a transparent state policy on school merger norms.
• Two remedial programmes, Ujjwal and Uthhan, were launched, contributing to a notable 10–15% improvement in average student achievement, as per SCERT assessments.
• A specific FLN mission for Grades I–III was initiated, with 60,000 teachers exclusively designated and trained for the FLN initiative.
• The introduction of the ‘Garima Awards’ school certification scheme resulted in the certification of approximately 8,700 schools with Bronze and 2,800 with Silver in Round 1.
• Online teacher transfer and recruitment policies were approved, accompanied by the launch of an online transfer portal. About 10,000 elementary teachers were recruited, with 2,500 secondary recruitments in progress.
• Over 1 lakh teachers underwent training on the remedial learning approach for Grades I–VIII, and an additional 60,000+ teachers received specific training for the FLN mission in Grades I–III.
• A restructuring of the headquarters and district-level organisation was undertaken, filling approximately 70% of vacancies within three months.
• The conceptualisation of 100 Centres of Excellence was initiated, involving detailed benchmarking of current infrastructure and staffing. This effort is now integrated into the state's ongoing broader high school transformation initiative.

Conclusion

In summary, project SATH-E demonstrated significant impact on the Indian school education landscape. Through strategic initiatives, partnerships and a focus on state ownership, positive outcomes are realised in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, as reflected in improved PGI scores and learning outcomes. A number of other states in India have initiated a similar transformative journey, encompassing states such as Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Moving forward, sustaining this progress necessitates a steadfast commitment to data-driven decision-making, strategic collaborations and a long-term perspective on sustainability. The successful interventions outlined in this report serve as valuable insights for future initiatives, emphasising the crucial need to elevate the quality of education for India's expanding student demographic.