A key characteristic of the Fellowship experience is learning radical flexibility. While adjusting to life in a new country, of course, requires regular adaptation, I truly felt this when I was shifted from my field site in Nandurbar, Maharashtra, to the central office in New Delhi. After five months with my host organization, AIF’s Learning and Migration Program, I packed everything I own into a suitcase and a backpack and began the near 16 hour journey between the two cities — a bus, a taxi, a flight, and then finally a ride on the metro.
As the plane made a grand turn around the city before beginning its descent to the airport, I was struck by how far the city lights spread. In every direction, the pricks of light spilled like moonlight glinting off the ocean, and even from 30,000 feet up, there was no end in sight. The lives of 34 million people. In Nandurbar, I could sit on the roof of my four-story apartment building and see the clear line where buildings gave way to endless farmland.
The bamboo studded hills were replaced with beautifully curated parks, the small cups of chai with mugs of coffee, and the walk to work with the metro’s Magenta Line. In Nandurbar, I worked on establishing a Multilingual Learning Center to promote the use of local languages in government schools. In Delhi, I was tasked with navigating some of the country’s most important institutions.
Education in India is a “concurrent subject” meaning that responsibility is shared between the central and state governments. At the national level, this work is done by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Established in 1961, NCERT develops model textbooks, conducts cutting-edge educational research, trains teachers, and provides broad policy recommendations. It also serves as a think tank for the Ministry of Education, offering tested frameworks and materials that aim to improve teaching and learning across the country. Beyond this core work, they also produce supplementary readers, learning kits, multimedia resources, teacher training manuals, and journals based on dedicated fieldwork and research.
Though it does not directly implement policies, NCERT often pilot-tests its materials and methods to ensure they are grounded in real-world classroom needs. The team at NCERT has to consider the needs of children and schools across the nation, in different contexts, and publishes model textbooks, research journals, educational kits, guides for training teachers that reflect this diversity. For example, their Indian Language Primers, workbooks designed to teach basic literacy to all ages, have recently been developed in 117 languages.
At the state level, each region has its own State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), which runs with full independence. Though they may follow NCERT’s recommendations, they’re under no obligation. Some choose to adopt the national textbooks as-is, others tweak them, and many make their own, crafting materials and syllabi that speak more directly to their regional needs and values. In many cases, SCERTs handle funding decisions, certify teachers, and oversee school performance at the grassroots level, working through district and block education offices to ultimately reach the classroom.
SCERT in Delhi is a little different, because the national capital is not a state, but a union territory, meaning that it is governed directly by the central government. It advises on educational policy while actively developing and implementing programs on the ground. Its priorities include shaping child-centered curricula, advancing teacher education, promoting educational research, and incorporating technology into classrooms. The institution also supports initiatives outside of formal education and works closely with the NCERT, Delhi University, and other academic partners to keep improving the quality of education.
I was incredibly lucky to engage with both the NCERT and Delhi’s SCERT while living and working in the nation’s capital.
I visited Delhi’s SCERT for the first time the week after I moved. Still uncomfortable with the metro system and anxious to make a good first impression, I walked through the campus gate early. As soon as I arrived, someone offered me chai and another went after a professor with free time to give me a campus tour. As a result of Delhi’s territorial status, this SCERT does not have direct control over the management of the city’s government schools. Instead, much of its resources go towards research and running one of India’s most prestigious Bachelor of Education programs.
I visited during a week of expert-led sessions focused on the topic of multilingual education. I entered the conference hall and saw the entire class of students looking for seats, chatting and joking as they milled about. Introducing myself to a group of students, I quickly learned how intelligent and passionate India’s future teachers are. These young adults are truly driven to teach — their only complaint about the program was that they want to spend more time at the front of the classroom, educating. Three weeks later and much more comfortable with Delhi’s public transit, I took the Magenta Line and met co-Fellow Askar at the Hauz Khas station. We walked together through the gates of NCERT and immediately felt lost. The campus is huge, with dozens of buildings and a couple security guards at each door with immediate questions for two young men who looked out of place.
When we finally found the right building, we were immediately offered chai and coffee. While sipping my drink, I looked around the library of books developed by NCERT, including introductions to literacy in 84 Indian languages. Given that the Indian Constitution only officially recognizes 22 languages, these books represent a huge step towards embracing the country’s diverse linguistic background in education. And these books are not just translations, but transadaptations, meaning that everything — the language, the art, the content — are specifically designed to match the culture and context of the target audience.
Throughout my meetings at the NCERT campus, I was struck by how generous these people — the top experts in education in the country — were with their time and knowledge. It is important to recognize that I was incredibly lucky to have the support of a supervisor at AIF with several direct connections at the organization to even get my foot in the door. However, it was my experience navigating local institutions in Nandurbar that some government officials simply did not have the bandwidth for our work, and in Delhi I expected more of the same.
No, the culture at NCERT was one of absolute love for the work, and most people were excited to talk about their work to two young professionals working in education. Anyone understandably too busy to speak expressed apology and made sure to connect us to other experts. And after my final meeting of the day, he walked us to the campus dining hall and ensured we would not leave without eating.
