The Madhya Pradesh NIPUN Professionals Program

The Madhya Pradesh NIPUN Professionals Program is a two year, district embedded fellowship that places young professionals directly within Madhya Pradesh's government structures to strengthen the implementation of NIPUN Bharat, India's national mission for foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN). The program was launched in 2023 in partnership with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and is currently anchored by Rajya Shiksha Kendra, Government of Madhya Pradesh, with Central Square Foundation as the implementation partner. It runs under the state's broader Mission Ankur initiative to improve foundational learning outcomes.

A child who does not build strong reading and numeracy skills early tends to struggle through the rest of their schooling, since every later stage of learning depends on these basics. NIPUN Bharat was launched by the Ministry of Education in 2021 to address this gap nationally, and in Madhya Pradesh, this vision is being carried out through NIPUN Professionals working directly alongside state and district administrations.

NIPUN Professionals are placed within district government systems, where they work closely with District Collectors, CEO ZPs (Chief Executive Officers of Zilla Parishads), and education department officials. Rather than working from outside the system, professionals are embedded within it, helping identify implementation gaps, improve governance processes, and support districts in meeting their foundational learning goals for every child.

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What the Program Involves

• Strengthening education systems: collaborating with district officials to improve the implementation of NIPUN Bharat, identifying bottlenecks, and supporting governance processes tied to foundational learning goals
• Turning evidence into action: using program and learning data to track progress, spot trends, and support data driven decisions, including preparation for district and block level review meetings
• Building capacity across the system: working with block and district level academic mentor cadres and state teams to strengthen instructional leadership and field level academic support
• Creating on ground impact: conducting school visits, engaging directly with teachers and stakeholders, and helping departments and communities coordinate more effectively around learning outcomes

Program Reach

• Present across 55 districts in Madhya Pradesh
• Working with nearly 80,000 government schools
• Supporting foundational learning outcomes for over 18 lakh students in Grades 1 to 3
• More than 50 alumni from previous cohorts, many of whom have moved into roles in policy, governance, and the social sector

Alumni of the MP NIPUN Professionals Program have gone on to roles at organizations such as Central Square Foundation, NITI Aayog, and Antarang Foundation. Many describe the program as building their skills in systems leadership, stakeholder management, and navigating complex public institutions, making it a strong foundation for a career in public policy, governance, or the social sector more broadly.

The program brings together the Government of Madhya Pradesh through Rajya Shiksha Kendra, Samagra Shiksha, and Central Square Foundation as implementation partner, alongside NIPUN Bharat as the national mission it operates under. This combination of state ownership and technical partner support is designed to make the program's impact sustainable within the government system itself, rather than dependent on any single organization.