India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 placed Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) at the centre of the national education agenda. Alongside, the NIPUN Bharat Mission was launched with the goal of achieving universal FLN for all children by 2026–27. While student assessments have expanded, there has been a critical gap in large-scale, systematic evidence on how teaching and learning actually occur in early classrooms, especially in Grades 1 and 2. Improving FLN outcomes in a sustained way depends not just on assessments of outcomes, but on understanding instructional practices that shape everyday learning.
The Teaching Learning Practices Survey (TLPS) 2025 was designed to address this gap. TLPS aimed to generate national-level evidence on classroom teaching practices in language and mathematics for Grades 1 and 2. By examining early-grade classrooms across diverse contexts, the survey provides insight into how learning materials, teacher training, and academic support are translated into everyday teaching and learning.
- Survey conducted: Between November 2024 and March 2025
- Sample: Observations in 1,050 classrooms
- Coverage: 21 districts, across nine states (Assam, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh).
- Focus Areas: Classroom learning environment, lesson planning and delivery, teaching practices for language and mathematics, time allocation for instructional activities, and teachers’ professional development experiences.
TLPS 2025 offers a national snapshot of teaching and learning practices for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN). Anchored by the Language and Learning Foundation (LLF) and supported by Tata Trusts, the survey was implemented in collaboration with CmF, Educational Initiatives, Madhi Foundation, QUEST, and Vikramshila Education Resource Society, reflecting a shared commitment to strengthening foundational learning in government education systems at scale.
Key Learnings & Insights
The TLPS 2025 offers a detailed picture of current classroom practices and areas for improvement:
- Classroom Environment & Participation: Although several classrooms have print-rich materials, these are often not used effectively. In the majority of classrooms, children had limited opportunities for active participation or discussion, and seating arrangements rarely promoted interaction. Teachers knew children’s home languages, but very few used them regularly as instructional tools.
- Teaching Practices:
- Teachers primarily relied on whole-class questioning and provided limited monitoring or individualized feedback during independent tasks.
- Language instruction often lacked systematic decoding and meaningful writing opportunities. Mathematics teaching commonly did not use teaching-learning materials (TLMs) or real-life contexts to deepen conceptual understanding.
- Time Use: A notable share of class time was spent on mechanical, repetitive activities with limited learning engagement. Children were ‘off task’ for a significant portion of the day.
- Professional Development & Support: Teachers were largely aware of FLN goals and had access to FLN training. However, the quality and consistency of academic support (such as classroom visits by resource persons) varied widely.
Recommendations
To improve teaching-learning practices for FLN at scale, the survey outlines both classroom-level and system-level levers for change:
- Enhance Instructional Practices:
- Use instructional materials more effectively and position them to support learning.
- Promote learner-centred practices including flexible grouping, active participation, and differentiated tasks tailored to students’ needs.
- Strengthen feedback, monitoring, and checks for understanding.
- Leverage Home Language & Classroom Contexts: Accelerate systematic use of children’s home languages and culturally relevant contexts, especially in multilingual settings.
- Pre-service & Continuous Professional Development: Integrate FLN pedagogy, play-based learning, and inclusive practices into teacher education. Reimagine teacher training as continuous professional development, combining structured courses, blended learning, peer learning communities, and in-person coaching.
- Strengthen Academic Support Systems: Build regular, deep, and context-specific on-site support through academic coaches, cluster resource coordinators, and structured mentoring, shifting mid-tier roles away from administrative burdens toward instructional leadership.
- Policy Continuity & Expansion: Maintain strong policy focus on FLN beyond the current mission timeline, expand emphasis through higher grades (3 to5), and deepen skills in critical thinking and expressive language.
Explore the full report or read the executive summary of the report.
