Shiksha Samvaad: A Groundbreaking Dialogue on Education Equity Comes to Bihar for its Latest Edition

Building
on
the
impactful
dialogue
ignited
by
the
Mumbai
Shiksha
Samvaad
in
October
2024,
the

Shikshgraha
movement
took
a
significant
step
forward
with
a
powerful
convening
in
Patna.
This
landmark
event
united
key
voices
from
civil
society,
philanthropy,
education,
and
industry,
reinforcing
the
collective
commitment
to
transforming
education
across
India.
Hosted
by
The
Shibulal
Family
Philanthropic
Initiatives,
the
Shiksha
Samvaad
in
Bihar
focused
on
accelerating
improvements
in
India’s
public
education
system,
especially
for
girls
and
marginalised
communities.
The
event,
organised
by

Mantra4Change,
ShikshaLokam,
and
Jyoti
Mahila
Samakhya
brought
together
key
stakeholders
and
provided
a
platform
for
meaningful
discussions
to
advance
education
equity
and
improve
the
quality
of
public
schooling
in
India.

The
Shiksha
Samvaad
event
held
in
Patna
brought
together
insightful
dialogues
led
by
distinguished
speakers
and
captivating
performances
by
students
from
government
schools

“Shiksha
Samvaad
is
an
important
platform
for
coming
together,
for
shared
meaning-making,
and
discussing
how
we
can
improve
education.
Hosting
it
in
Patna
holds
special
significance
because
it
aligns
with
Mantra4Change’s
ongoing
systemic
efforts
to
strengthen
public
education
in
Bihar.
This
platform
allows
us
to
deliberate
on
the
state’s
unique,
contextual
challenges
while
learning
from
the
rich
perspectives
of
local
communities.
Together,
we
can
make
public
education
better
for
every
child,
especially
girls
and
those
from
marginalised
communities,”
said

Khushboo
Awasthi,
Co-founder,
Mantra4Change
and
Chief
Operating
Officer
and
Co-founder,
ShikshaLokam.

Shikshagraha,
a
people’s
movement
dedicated
to
transforming
India’s
public
education
system,
took
centre
stage
at
the
event.
With
a
goal
to
improve
all
1
million
public
schools
in
India
by
2030,
Shikshagraha
is
uniting
government
bodies,
educators,
civil
society,
media,
industry
leaders,
and
communities
to
work
toward
educational
equity.
The
movement’s
vision
is
to
create
an
ecosystem
where
every
child—regardless
of
background,
gender,
or
ability—has
access
to
quality
education
and
the
opportunity
to
reach
their
full
potential.

Key
Highlights
from
the
Event:

The
event
commenced
with
an
insightful
keynote
address
by
Vyas
Mishra
IAS
(Retd),
Former
Vice
Chairman
of
Bihar
State
Disaster
Management
Authority.
This
was
followed
by
a
thought-provoking
fireside
chat
featuring
Pramath
Raj
Sinha,
Co-Founder,
Ashoka
University;
Dr.
Binodanand
Jha,
Former
Director
of
Research
&
Training,
Department
of
Education,
Bihar;
Sudha
Varghese,
Founder,
Nari
Gunjan
and
Padma
Shri
Awardee;
and
Aaradhana
Dalmia,
Trustee,
Dalmia
Charitable
Trust.
The
conversation
centred
on
the
progress
made
in
Bihar’s
education
sector
over
the
past
two
decades
and
its
future
trajectory.

A
panel
discussion,
moderated
by
Samyak
Jain,
Co-Founder,
Involve,
with
Monal
Jayaram,
Co-founder
&
Director
at
the
School
of
Education
&
System
Change,
Piramal
School
of
Leadership,
Piramal
Foundation,
and
Dr.
Rashmi
Prabha,
Joint
Director,
Academics,
SCERT,
Bihar,
delved
into
strategies
for
achieving
education
equity,
with
a
focus
on
gender
and
marginalised
communities.

“Equity
in
education
goes
beyond
access
–
it’s
about
enabling
holistic
learning
that
nurtures
socio-emotional
development,
critical
thinking,
career
readiness,
and
the
agency
of
children
to
shape
their
own
futures.
In
Bihar,
adapting
globally
recognised
practices
to
the
local
context
is
key
to
preserving
their
impact
while
addressing
unique
challenges.
This
requires
deep
collaboration
between
NGOs
and
government
systems
to
align
efforts,
create
sustainable
solutions,
and
ensure
no
child
is
left
behind
in
their
journey
toward
a
brighter
future,”
said

Monal.

The
Shibulal
Family
Philanthropic
Initiatives
(SFPI)
has
also
recently
introduced
the
Shikshagraha
Awards,
aimed
at
recognising
the
remarkable
contributions
of
school
leaders,
youth
advocates,
and
community
changemakers
to
revolutionising
the
education
ecosystem.
Nominations
for
these
awards
are
now
open,
and
winners
will
be
honoured
at
InvokED
4.0,
a
global
education
leadership
event
in
Bengaluru
on
March
7-8,
2025.

Shikshagraha
in
Bihar

Bihar
has
been
at
the
heart
of
the
Shikshagraha
movement,
spearheaded
by
Mantra4Change,
and
powered
by
other
partner
organisations
like
Involve,
Karunodaya,
Jyoti
Mahila
Samakhya,
etc.
reflecting
its
commitment
to
addressing
educational
challenges
at
scale.
One
of
the
most
significant
milestones
has
been
the
introduction
of
Project-Based
Learning
(PBL)
in
over
29,000
middle
schools
across
the
state,
reaching
over
60
lakh
students.
This
innovative,
hands-on
approach
to
education
is
transforming
the
learning
experience
for
students
in
Grades
6
to
8,
supporting
experiential
learning
and
equipping
them
with
practical
skills
for
the
future.

Additionally,
over
11,000
Science
and
Math
teachers
have
been
trained
in
new
teaching
methods
to
make
the
subjects
more
engaging.
In
collaboration
with
the
Department
of
Education,
Bihar,
over
75
resources,
including
handbooks,
videos,
and
action
projects,
have
been
developed
to
improve
learning
outcomes
tailored
to
local
needs.

Another
key
achievement
has
been
fostering
community
involvement
in
education,
with
parents
now
actively
participating
in
their
children’s
learning.
Through
innovative
exhibitions
and
community
meetings,
Shikshagraha
has
created
a
supportive
environment
for
every
student.

Shikshagraha’s
Broader
Vision

Shikshagraha
is
committed
to
improving
India’s
public
education
system
by
2030.
With
the
support
of
over
30
partner
organisations,
the
movement
is
already
making
a
significant
impact,
working
to
improve
the
quality
of
education
in
over
10,000
schools
across
27
districts
in
12
states.

As
more
than
50%
of
children
in
India
are
enrolled
in
public
schools,
the
need
for
improving
infrastructure,
teaching
quality,
and
learning
outcomes
is
more
urgent
than
ever.
Shikshagraha’s
efforts
align
closely
with
the
goals
outlined
in
the
National
Education
Policy
(NEP)
2020,
contributing
to
India’s
broader
socio-economic
growth.

The
Shikshagraha
movement
continues
to
inspire
collective
action
to
bridge
educational
gaps
and
ensure
that
every
child,
especially
those
from
marginalised
communities,
has
access
to
the
quality
education
they
deserve.

About
Shikshagraha

Shikshagraha
is
a
people’s
movement
aiming
to
improve
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,
and
media,
—to
collaboratively
address
the
challenges
in
the
public
education
system
through
a
micro-improvement
approach.
By
promoting
decentralised
decision-making
in
the
education
system,
enabling
leadership
across
levels,
and
fostering
collective
action,
Shikshagraha
aims
to
create
an
inclusive
learning
environment
where
every
student,
regardless
of
background,
gender,
or
abilities,
can
thrive
in
the
21st
century.
Shikshagraha
is
being
co-built
by
Mantra4Change
and
ShikshaLokam
–
a
Shibulal
Family
Philanthropic
Initiative.