By:-Mr Jaison C Mathew, CEO, Christel House India
2025 has been a year of both scale and reflection for Indian education. On one hand, we are seeing unprecedented reach, with leading non-profits together now touching millions of children’s lives each year, complementing government efforts across rural, tribal, and urban-poor communities. At the policy level, there is a visible and sustained push towards strengthening the education ecosystem through programmes aligned with the National Education Policy 2020, which places strong emphasis on access, equity, quality, and holistic learning. At the same time, recent trends around enrolment remind us that access alone does not always translate into continuity in classrooms, particularly for children from marginalised backgrounds, and that sustained, on-ground support remains critical.
What gives us hope at Christel House India is how clearly the ecosystem is moving towards deeper, more holistic support for every child. The government’s accelerated implementation of NEP principles, such as the 5+3+3+4 learning structure, multidisciplinary education, emphasis on critical thinking, experiential learning, and early exposure to vocational skills, is creating meaningful opportunities for students to engage with learning in more relevant and future-ready ways. There is also a growing focus on integrating internships and real-world exposure into the academic journey, helping students connect education with employability and life skills from an early stage. At the same time, CSR partners and mission-driven NGOs are doubling down on the fundamentals, such as foundational learning, socio-emotional support, nutrition, transport, and first-generation counselling, which actually keep children in school and help them thrive.
As we look to 2026, our expectation is that the conversation will shift from the number of children we as a collective group of change makers were able to reach to discussing the number of children who truly crossed the finish line with dignity, skills, and confidence. Achieving this will require sharper execution, stronger collaboration between public systems and non-profits in high-need geographies, and sustained investment in long-term, cradle-to-career support models for the most vulnerable learners.
At Christel House India, we remain committed to being that end-to-end support system, and we walk with our students from kindergarten to careers, while partnering with governments, donors, CSR partners, and communities, to ensure that national progress does not leave behind the children who need it most.
