On most mornings in Indore’s Sandipani Naveen Malav Kanya School, the assembly ground feels like a small town square. A group of girls steps forward to lead the prayer, read the news, and invite classmates to share what they learnt. In a nearby classroom, students form a neat queue outside the computer lab, ready to create stories, small games, and animations on their tablets.

This school has become the preferred choice for families in the constituency. It is not a private institution with high fees. It is a government school that parents now trust for its approach to learning.

At the centre of this shift is Ramkrishna Kori, the school’s principal. He remembers a time when new methods made him uneasy. “I come from a very traditional background. I had always followed the conventional way,” he says. Textbooks and blackboards shaped his routines, and ideas about digital learning, student leadership, and project-based activities felt unfamiliar.

Everything began to change when Sandipani School partnered with Peepul Foundation, an organisation working to strengthen public education systems. The collaboration introduced new habits, new tools, and new ways of thinking. In 2025, the school’s journey received national recognition through the FICCI ARISE Excellence Award. 

For Kori, it felt like confirmation that something meaningful had taken root. It showed him how much a government school can achieve when teachers feel supported, and children are encouraged to explore.

The foundations of this change go back to 2015, when Peepul began its work in public education. Through their research, one pattern kept surfacing. The country had improved enrolment, but inside many classrooms, learning still felt distant.

“We had understood from our research that, as a country, we have enrolled children into school. Despite that, we don't see engagement in the classrooms,” says Urmila Chowdhury, co-founder and education director at Peepul. “The problem of access had been solved, but the problem of quality remained a big challenge.”

Peepul began by strengthening foundational learning in Delhi municipal schools. But the pandemic brought everything to a screeching halt. Schools closed, and learning moved abruptly into homes. To stay connected with children, Peepul and its partner organisations distributed tablets with pre-loaded content and paid data packs.

When schools reopened, teachers found themselves facing a new question:........

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