Strengthening Foundational Learning at the Last Mile – Pursuance, Practice, and Policy 2023

PRAशिक्षा – Learning Beyond Boundaries

October 17, 2023
India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

PRAशिक्षा – AIF’s Annual Knowledge Event drove discourse on the critical need to strengthen foundational learning for children affected by seasonal migration and displacement. The event demonstrated the power of collaboration, to foster scale and innovation, in facilitating continued access to quality education, while addressing issues of governance and systemic transformation.

‘Education is the single most important long-term investment that can accelerate the intergenerational social mobility of children of migrant workers. It can also get people out of the vicious cycle of poverty and migration’ – Benoy Peter, Co-Founder and the Executive Director, Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development.

Helmed by AIF’s award-winning flagship education Program – Learning and Migration Program, ‘PRAशिक्षा’ brought together 100+ sectoral experts, policymakers, academicians, and corporates. Collectively, the speakers deliberated on pathways for better access to education for children in displacement-prone regions of the country, especially those affected by climate-induced displacement, children with disabilities, and those living in red-light areas.

The eminent speakers and delegates consisted of leading policymakers, government officials, researchers, academics, and education practitioners such as Mr. Shashi Prakash Jha-IAS & Director, Department of Women and Child Development & Social Welfare, Government of Jharkhand; Dr. Samiron Borad, & Ms. Kabita Deka – Inspector of Schools, Assam Education Service (AES-I), Government of Assam; Dr Hariprasad GV, Senior Lecturer, DIET, Shimoga, Chief Consultant, NSC – TSG, Ministry of Education, Government of India; Mr. Benoy Peter co-founder and the Executive Director, Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development; Dr. Vinita Yadav, Professor, Department of Regional Planning at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi; Ms. Gazal Raina, AVP Sustainability, Global Business Services Pvt Ltd, Standard Chartered Bank; Mr. Joshy Jose, Director, Learning and Migration Program, AIF; Mr. Robin Sarkar, Project Director, Shiv Nadar Foundation; Joshy Jose, Director, Learning and Migration Program, AIF; Ms. Sonali Khan, Managing Director, Sesame Workshop India; Ms. Nandita Raval, Co-founder and Director, Kaivalya education foundation; Ms. Shaifalika Panda, Trustee & Founder CEO, Bansidhar and Ila Panda Foundation; and Ms. Anupam Shukla, Director, Learning, Evaluation, and Impact, AIF.

‘Education exclusion of migrant children needs to be understood in the context of discord between mobile childhoods and immobile schools’. Shaifalika Panda, Trustee & Founder CEO, Bansidhar and Ila Panda Foundation

Complex challenges in access and equity to education require coordinated efforts from multiple stakeholders, including government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private sector partners. By fostering dialogue, shared knowledge, and collaboration, AIF’s Learning and Migration Program aims to drive effective strategies for improving education systems and ensuring that all children including those on the last mile have access to a quality education, resources, and care they need.