Volume 13 : Issue 13.2 (2026)

Non-Formal Education Interventions for Foundational Learning and Social Change

Many children, especially those growing up in poverty, who have to migrate often or live in informal settlements, continue to face serious learning gaps and a high risk of dropping out of school. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these challenges, and long school closures and limited access to digital learning pushed many children further behind, particularly in foundational literacy and numeracy. This paper explores how community- based, non-formal learning centres can help children recover from learning loss while also contributing to wider social change. Using a qualitative case study approach, it examines the Praajita Learning Centres implemented between 2022 and 2024 in three urban informal settlements in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Data were gathered through interviews with educators, parents, and children; classroom observations; learner assessment reports; and household surveys. The findings indicate that the learning centres supported improvements in children’s reading, writing, and numeracy skills. Beyond academics, children demonstrated greater confidence and participation in class. Parents, particularly mothers, reported higher educational aspirations for their daughters. Many of the households surveyed adopted improved hygiene and water-use practices influenced by children’s learning at the centres. The study suggests that when non-formal education spaces are located within the community, provide a sense of safety and well-being to the children, and focus on their core competencies, they can effectively complement formal schooling. Such spaces not only support remedial learning but also strengthen family engagement and community-level change. The paper contributes to ongoing discussions on foundational learning, education recovery after crises, and the role of non-formal education in advancing Sustainable Development Goal 4.

Non-formal education; foundational learning; learning loss; community learning centres; vulnerable communities; gender; India

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