Author: Smile Foundation

Gender

Reproductive Health Education for Women in India

Post author By Smile Foundation
Post date October 25, 2025
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Issues that were once spoken of only in hushed tones are coming into the open. Reproductive health education for women is no longer simply a matter of maternal check-ups or family-planning counselling. It is now intersecting with rights, agency, education and gender equity. But the scale and pace of change remain uneven and without deliberate investment in education, information and infrastructure this shift risks falling short.

Recent developments underscore both the promise and the urgency of this agenda. In August 2024 the UN Human Rights Committee called on India to ensure full access to sexual and reproductive health services including education for women and girls. The committee noted that legal and policy barriers persisted and advised stronger efforts in education and service delivery. That public recommendation reflects that reproductive health education more than a health intervention is a governance and rights-based question.

Another recent piece in the Hindustan Times reframed women’s health as an economic lever, pointing out that over half of women of reproductive age in India are anaemic — a condition linked not only to health but to productivity, economic participation and educational outcomes. When reproductive health issues affect schooling, work, cognitive capacity or life choices, the need for comprehensive education becomes clear.

But

Yet despite this clarity, far too many women still face educational deficits when it comes to their own bodies, fertility, contraception and rights. In rural India especially the taboo around menstruation, sexuality and pregnancy continues to limit both information and options. A commentary in The Times of India emphasised that for rural women and adolescents the combined burden of gender inequality, social stigma and lack of financial independence creates severe barriers to reproductive health education.

These patterns shape lives and outcomes. An adolescent girl who receives little or no information about her menstrual cycle or fertility is far more likely to arrive at early marriage or early pregnancy, to drop out of school and to have fewer life-options. A woman who lacks access to contraceptive information and support is more likely to have unintended pregnancies or to be channelled into sterilisation without full choice. A woman who enters motherhood without adequate information about postpartum health, nutrition or contraception is more vulnerable.

Why Education Matters

Reproductive health education matters for multiple reasons. First it builds agency. Knowledge about one’s body, fertility, contraception and rights allows a woman to make decisions rather than have them made for her. When this knowledge is absent the default is often the most constrained option.

Second, it shapes outcomes. Data show that unmet need for modern contraception remains high in India: in 2019 about 27 % of women who would like to avoid pregnancy did not use a modern method. Without education and access the risk of unintended pregnancies remains high.

Third, it relates to equity and gender justice. Without reproductive health education we continue to assume that women’s reproductive roles are natural, unchanging and unquestionable. But education invites questions, reassessment and choice. It challenges power relations that deny women decision-making in matters of fertility, marriage timing, spacing of children and health.

Fourth, it matters for the economy and society. Anaemia, high fertility, early pregnancy and poor reproductive health aren’t just personal welfare issues, they affect workforce participation, education of children, public-health burdens and long-term social outcomes. Reproductive health education is therefore also a development intervention.

What Stands in the Way

The obstacles are substantial. One major barrier is information gap. In many communities women receive little structured education about reproductive biology, contraception, safe pregnancy, abortion rights or postpartum health. This is especially true in rural settings and among the displaced or marginalised. Social stigma compounds the challenge: discussions about menstruation or sexual health are still confined to secrecy or shame. Rural settings often lack safe spaces for dialogue or language-appropriate and age-appropriate curricula.

Another barrier is service gap. Education is effective only when paired with accessible and quality health services. The UN committee’s review pointed out that even when education exists policy or regulatory bottlenecks in abortion services or sterilisation informed consent undermine impact.

Another challenge is capacity and curriculum. Many teachers and health workers lack training in reproductive health education or feel uncomfortable delivering it. The curricula at school often ignore or gloss over reproductive biology, contraception, menstrual health or rights. Adolescents and women alike may receive fragmented information rather than a comprehensive life-cycle approach.

Further challenges include digital and literacy divides, misinformation, cultural resistance and resource constraints. Accessing digital tools may help but only if women have literacy, connectivity and a supportive environment. A recent academic paper noted how even digital platforms for sexual and reproductive health struggle because of gaps in literacy, contextual design and accessibility for women in underserved settings.

What the Evidence Shows

Several emerging programmes offer clues about what works. In rural India where menstrual hygiene education is coupled with community dialogue, limited stigma reduction has been observed. Campaigns like the one launched in Uttar Pradesh under the heading “Swachh Garima” provided scientific and practical training on menstrual hygiene to girls in residential schools, using teacher training and community outreach.

That suggests the importance of combining education with community norms change. Similarly when reproductive health education is embedded within broader life-skills, vocational or digital literacy programmes the chances of sustainment increase.

It is also clear that reproductive health education cannot be siloed. It must connect schooling, health services, community engagement and rights discourse. When it becomes part of only a one-time session or standalone training, the impact is weak. When it becomes part of the curriculum, the conversation changes. Women and girls then expect more from their bodies, health services and lives.

Smile Foundation’s Swabhiman programme

Active since 2005, offers one of the more grounded models of reproductive health education for women in India. Working across both rural and urban low-income communities, the initiative combines awareness on reproductive and child health with livelihood training and social empowerment. Its sessions for women and adolescent girls cover safe motherhood, menstrual hygiene, family planning and nutrition, while also addressing taboos that keep these topics out of public discussion. Through its network of “change agents” or peer educators, Swabhiman has reached more than 80,000 women and girls with health services and education, turning community members themselves into ambassadors for reproductive health.

In districts such as

Palghar in Maharashtra,

the programme demonstrates how education can shift behaviour when paired with access and agency. Health camps, village-level workshops and school-based sessions link reproductive health knowledge to real-life decisions seeking antenatal care, adopting modern contraception or delaying early marriage. The integration of reproductive health education into a broader “life-cycle” model ensures that women encounter these conversations not as one-time lessons but as part of their ongoing social and economic participation. Smile’s approach stands out for treating health not as a silo but as a gateway to empowerment, enabling women to claim ownership over both their bodies and their futures.

Equally significant is Smile Foundation’s work on

menstrual hygiene management

as part of its adolescent health education. By training young women as peer educators, the programme encourages open conversations about menstruation in schools and communities where silence has long prevailed. It provides practical guidance on hygiene, dispels myths and links girls to essential facilities and supplies. The impact translates into reduced absenteeism, improved school participation and greater confidence among adolescent girls. In doing so, Smile Foundation’s work exemplifies how reproductive health education can move from a service-oriented approach to a rights- and dignity-based one, particularly for women and girls who have been excluded from such knowledge for generations.

A 360-degree strategy

For India to move forward on reproductive health education for women a clear-sighted strategy is needed. First teaching of reproductive health must begin early and continue across the life course. Schools must integrate age-appropriate modules on menstruation, fertility, contraception, safe pregnancy and rights. These modules should operate alongside general health and life-skills education.

Second teacher-training and community-engagement must be strengthened. Teachers and health workers need not only the technical knowledge but also the comfort and skills to engage sensitively with girls and women. Community events, mother-group meetings, peer-education networks and digital platforms must bring women into the conversation.

Third services must align with education. It makes little sense to provide knowledge if women cannot act on it because of service-gaps. Health centres with timely contraception, safe abortion rights, antenatal and postnatal care must be accessible. Legal and policy barriers must be dismantled. The UN committee’s recommendations are a reminder of this.

Fourth efforts must reach those on the margins. Rural women, adolescents, women with disabilities, tribal communities, migrants and low income groups often experience the worst deficits in reproductive health education and services. Tailored strategies that consider language, culture, mobility, economic constraints and literacy are essential.

Fifth data, research and accountability matter. We must monitor how education is being delivered and whether knowledge translates into informed decisions and health outcomes. Early evidence of digital platforms or community-based education should be scaled only when there is proof of reach and effectiveness. Emerging research on chatbots for reproductive health in underserved settings shows promise but also highlights the digital divide and the need for culturally-sensitive design.

Why Now Matters

The timing could not be better. India’s demographic dividend is at a crossroads. Women’s health and education remain themes in national policy. The National Education Policy emphasises health and life-skills. The National Health Mission and family-planning programmes are due for revitalisation. And as the Hindustan Times commentary argued reproductive health must be seen as an economic lever, not merely a household burden.

In short, investing in reproductive health education for women is both morally right and pragmatically sound. It fosters agency, reduces unintended pregnancies, improves health outcomes, enables education and work, and strengthens the nation’s human capital. When women know their bodies and rights they make different choices. When societies expect better from their girls and women the entire ecosystem shifts.

Conclusion

Reproductive health education for women in India remains under-prioritised. It sits at the intersection of health, education, gender and rights. Its promise is real but its delivery patchy. The headlines of campaigns and policy pronouncements are encouraging but unless they translate into sustained education-services-community ecosystems we risk leaving millions of women behind. For a woman to be truly empowered in her body she must first be informed. For a society to benefit from that empowerment it must be enabled. Reproductive health education is the bridge between the two.

Skill Development

The Women Missing From India’s Reskilling Revolution

Post author By Smile Foundation
Post date October 24, 2025
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Upskilling & Empowering Women Workers in Unorganised Sector

In a cramped tailoring shop on the edge of Gurugram, 35-year-old Shalu flips through her phone as her toddler naps beside her. A message blinks on a WhatsApp group called “Digital Futures.” It’s an invitation to a free, government-backed data-entry course. She sighs, half-interested. The training centre is fifteen kilometres away. The classes run from ten to four. Her husband works nights, her in-laws need meals by noon and there’s no one to mind the child. She closes the message.

Across India, women like Shalu are being left out of the country’s much-celebrated reskilling wave. As policymakers, employers and ed-tech companies speak of a “skills-first economy” and “digital transformation,” women’s participation in these very reskilling opportunities remains strikingly low.

The paradox is telling. India has one of the world’s youngest workforces, a booming start-up ecosystem and a government pushing to train millions under the Skill India Mission. But, women — half the population — continue to be spectators in a labour market being remade before their eyes.

The Promise and the Problem

Official data suggests that women’s labour-force participation in India is creeping up to around 41.7% per cent, from the pandemic-era lows. But that modest rise hides a deeper structural problem: women are missing from the very sectors driving the future of work.

A new World Economic Forum report found that 63 per cent of India’s workers will require reskilling by 2030. Yet the bulk of training in artificial intelligence, data analysis, cloud computing and green technologies continues to be dominated by men. Most women who do enter the workforce remain in low-paid, low-security roles stitching garments, cleaning homes, teaching in informal preschools.

Economists warn that unless women gain access to reskilling programmes and the new job categories they unlock, India’s much-touted demographic dividend could turn into a demographic mirage. The country risks building a digital economy that reproduces the same gender hierarchies as the industrial one.

The Invisible Barriers

At the heart of the issue lies the architecture of everyday life. Women’s underrepresentation in reskilling opportunities isn’t simply a question of access to training; it is about the collision between gender, labour and social expectation.

For millions of Indian women, unpaid care remains the first and last shift of the day. Cooking, caregiving and cleaning consume hours that men can spend on commutes or courses. The time poverty is real. A recent analysis found that Indian women devote nearly five hours daily to unpaid domestic work — three times more than men. Training schedules that assume learners are free at midday or can travel to city centres are, by design, exclusionary.

Then there are the subtler forms of exclusion. Many women are unaware of training opportunities. Others hesitate to attend mixed-gender classes or work on computers they’ve never used. Some are discouraged by families who see reskilling as “unnecessary” for women who are expected to marry or stay home.

Even when women do enrol, drop-out rates are high. The courses are rarely structured around their realities. There’s little childcare, no transport allowance and limited digital support. A study by IWWAGE (Initiative for What Works to Advance Women and Girls in the Economy) found that women’s enrolment in STEM and tech-based reskilling remains below 20 per cent nationally.

The Skewed Design of Opportunity

The irony is that many of the jobs emerging from the reskilling boom — data annotation, digital operations, AI testing, online tutoring — could fit women’s needs perfectly. They can be done remotely, often with flexible hours and limited physical strain. But the ecosystem of access remains male-dominated.

“Most reskilling programmes are designed around the assumption that learners are young, urban, and male,” says Priya Nair, who runs a women’s skill centre in Kerala. “Even digital courses often require uninterrupted electricity, high-speed internet, and confidence to ask questions online. That’s where women lose out.”

The problem isn’t just design but the absence of imagination. Few reskilling initiatives consider life-stage transitions — the woman returning to work after maternity, the mid-career worker displaced by automation or the rural graduate aspiring for a digital role.

In India, 80 per cent of women work in the informal economy, where the notion of reskilling barely exists. Domestic workers, factory-line operators and home-based artisans have little access to structured training. When automation or mechanisation arrives, they are simply displaced, not retrained.

A Reskilling Landscape that Excludes

In Delhi, the Skill India Mission operates dozens of centres. But walk through them and the gender divide is palpable. Men cluster around machines, computers and welding stations. Women are funnelled into tailoring, beauty and handicraft courses — training that leads back to traditional gendered labour.

A government official defending the design says: “Women prefer safer, home-based trades.” But the preference is shaped by the structure of opportunity. When there are no pathways into non-traditional trades, choice becomes a mask for exclusion.

This isn’t a uniquely Indian story, but the stakes here are higher. India’s economy is adding jobs in green energy, digital finance and logistics — sectors projected to expand rapidly. Yet, unless women access reskilling in these spaces, their share in future employment will shrink further.

Learning from What Works

Some models offer glimpses of change.

Under the Skill Impact Bond launched by the National Skill Development Corporation and international partners, 72 per cent of the 23,700 youth trained were women. The project tied funding to outcomes, ensuring women not only trained but found jobs and retained them for at least three months. When inclusion is intentional, results follow.

Similarly, non-profits like Smile Foundation have been expanding reskilling and digital literacy among women through their various interventions. By integrating digital and financial education into broader empowerment initiatives, Smile has reached thousands of women who had never touched a smartphone before. Its trainers adapt timing, location and format — sometimes holding sessions in village courtyards or local schools — to make learning accessible.

Smile Foundation’s work in employability and reskilling offers a grounded model of how social-sector initiatives can bridge the gap between aspiration and opportunity for India’s youth—especially young women. Through its Smile Twin e-Learning Programme (STeP) and broader Livelihood Initiative, the organisation provides structured vocational and digital-skills training to young people from low-income backgrounds. The curriculum combines technical training with life skills, communication, financial literacy and industry exposure—an approach that moves to long-term employability. Over the years, Smile has trained more than 75,000 youth, of whom 71 per cent are women and facilitated over 47,000 job placements across retail, healthcare, IT-enabled services and hospitality sectors.

Inclusion: Our Top Priority

The foundation’s emphasis on women’s inclusion in reskilling stands out. In communities where mobility, childcare responsibilities and social norms restrict participation, Smile centres serve as accessible, trusted spaces for learning and mentorship. Many of its programmes, from digital literacy modules to entrepreneurship training for women in the unorganised sector, are tailored to build confidence and autonomy, not just employable skills. Initiatives like iTrain on Wheels, developed in partnership with industry leaders, have taken mobile training units into underserved neighbourhoods, enabling women painters and technicians to enter trades once considered off-limits.

By connecting reskilling to real employment pathways and sustained mentoring, Smile Foundation challenges the idea that women’s participation in the labour force is simply a matter of choice. Its model demonstrates how design and intent can change outcomes—how flexibility, proximity and life-skills integration can make the difference between training on paper and transformation in practice. In doing so, Smile’s work offers what an inclusive reskilling ecosystem could look like in India’s next decade of growth.

Because women do not lack interest in reskilling. They lack ecosystems that see them.

Policy Promises and Persistent Gaps

Policymakers have recognised the issue, at least rhetorically. The Union Budget of 2024-25 allocated fresh funding to “Skill India Digital,” promising a comprehensive digital reskilling platform with gender inclusion as a key objective. State governments, too, have launched women-focused initiatives, from Karnataka’s “Udyogini” scheme to Maharashtra’s “Tejaswini” project.

But these remain fragmented. The problem isn’t the absence of schemes but the absence of coordination. Ministries run overlapping programmes with different eligibility criteria, little follow-up data and minimal employer integration. Few measure whether women trained actually find sustained employment.

Meanwhile, the private sector’s efforts, though visible, tend to remain urban and English-speaking. The glossy images of women in coding bootcamps tell only a sliver of the story. For most women in India’s tier-two towns or rural belts, the barriers are infrastructural — electricity, internet, language, childcare. Without addressing those, reskilling remains an urban conversation.

The Economics of Exclusion

The cost of exclusion is high. A study by McKinsey estimated that closing the gender gap in India’s workforce could add $770 billion to the GDP by 2025. But economic potential isn’t enough to change behaviour. Gender roles, entrenched over generations, aren’t easily rewritten by a certificate course.

In interviews with women in low-income communities, many say they would like to learn new skills but can’t justify the cost. “My husband says, who will pay for a course that doesn’t guarantee a job?” says Rekha, a 28-year-old homemaker from Madhya Pradesh. “If there was work after, maybe.”

That conditional hope is key. Women’s participation in reskilling is tightly linked to economic incentives. When employers commit to hiring women who complete training, families take the opportunity seriously. When the outcome is uncertain, the effort feels indulgent.

What Inclusion would Take

For India to truly democratise reskilling, it must move beyond rhetoric to design. That means reimagining both what reskilling looks like and who it is for.

Training centres must adapt to women’s schedules and realities — shorter modules, flexible hours, hybrid options, childcare facilities and safe transport. Employers must create roles that absorb women returning to work after long gaps, with mentorship and growth pathways. Digital platforms must design for low literacy, local languages and patchy connectivity.

Above all, policymakers must move from counting seats to tracking outcomes: who enrols, who completes, who finds work and who stays. Disaggregated data — by gender, age, region and income — is the first step towards accountability.

A Question of Imagination

There is no shortage of women who want to learn. In Jharkhand, a pilot AI-training project for women saw triple the expected enrolment once timings were adjusted and travel stipends added. In Kerala, women returning to work after childcare gaps excelled in logistics and warehouse management once given structured re-entry programmes.

The challenge is not capability but design. As long as reskilling remains framed around a male default, women will continue to appear as statistical afterthoughts.

The Future that Includes

India is entering a defining decade. Automation and AI are redrawing the boundaries of work. Entire industries will need reskilling. The question is whether this transformation will include women or deepen existing divides.

If reskilling is to live up to its promise, it must become not just a tool for efficiency but a project of equity. Every course schedule, training centre and hiring policy must begin with one question: who is missing from the room?

For now, women like Shalu remain outside, juggling care, aspiration and exhaustion. The reskilling revolution hums along without them. But the real future of work — inclusive, equitable, sustainable — will only begin when they walk through that door.

Insights

A Day in Bhiwadi: Learning, Sharing and Smiling Together

Post author By Smile Foundation
Post date October 23, 2025
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This is my first time living in Delhi for an extended period – in fact, my first time spending more than a few weeks in India at all. My parents are from Bangalore, but I was born and raised in Germany, where I went to school, studied, worked and built my entire life until now.

Growing up, India was always a place I associated with short family trips. Almost every year we visited Bangalore for a few weeks, but those visits mostly turned into marathons of relative-hopping, or days spent at home while my parents ran errands – from post office queues to bank visits and shopping kilograms of different kind of dal. I never felt I truly got to know the country beyond family routines.

This year, I decided to change that. I wanted to experience India differently: to meet people, to discover the culture, to see places with my own eyes, and most importantly, to learn from the communities themselves. Volunteering with Smile Foundation has given me this chance – a way not only to give back, but also to gain a deeper understanding of the lives touched by the Foundation’s work.

Last week, I joined the team on my very first field visit to Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, a town just across the state border, two hours from Delhi. We drove through a monsoon-soaked landscape and I was filled with anticipation for what awaited us. When we arrived, dozens of women and children were already gathered, waiting patiently for the Annaprashan ceremony. I had never experienced this tradition before. Annaprashan, literally “the first feeding of food,” is celebrated when babies turn six months old, the age when they begin eating solid food. That day, two mothers were there with their babies, dressed more elaborately than the others in lehengas, marking the significance of the day. Photographs were taken, smiles were exchanged and then the ceremony began.

We chose yogurt as the babies’ first spoonful of food, symbolizing nourishment and good health. To my surprise, I was also invited to take part by feeding a baby his very first taste. It was a small gesture, but deeply symbolic. I felt humbled to play even the tiniest role in a milestone that families will remember forever.

Afterwards, the project manager spoke to the mothers and children, holding up a basket filled with simple but powerful foods: apples, bananas, yogurt, rice, dal. She explained how each could contribute to a balanced meal. Then, I was invited to speak. I introduced myself, told them about Germany, and shared how I cook at home and highlighted the importance of cutting down on sugar and choosing wholesome food. Although most of the women didn’t speak English, I felt they understood me. Their nods, their smiles, and the way they leaned in to listen touched me. What moved me most was their genuine warmth and openness.

Later, I sat with a group of teenage girls, aged 14 to 16, who had been watching me curiously all morning. They spoke English, and our conversation flowed easily. One of them told me she wanted to study commerce and work in a bank, which is exactly what I did. In her eyes, I saw the same hope and determination I once had, though she was born into different circumstances. It left me feeling both humbled and inspired: their dreams are big, and so is their will to achieve them.

Walking through the village afterwards reminded me a lot of the village my father grew up in South India. Each time we came to India, which was almost every year, we tried to visit that village to reconnect with our community and family. These rural areas have something familiar, openness and peace. There were cows in courtyards, neighbors greeting each other openly, and the doors were always open. There were no honking cars, no rush of the city. Just a sense of calm, belonging, and community. Some women, half-jokingly, even asked me to repair their broken streets. I truly wished I could help them.

The heavy monsoon rains soon returned, flooding lanes and complicating the day’s planned interviews. Yet even amid the chaos, beautiful encounters unfolded. One curious girl approached me; though she didn’t speak English, she shared my name. We laughed, tried to communicate with Google Translate and she invited me into her home to meet her mother. In her I saw a reflection of myself as a child: shyness at the beginning, curious and eager to connect.

I also witnessed an interview with a woman who had benefitted from Smile Foundation’s Women Empowerment Program. She also was dressed in a very beautiful lehenga, looking wonderful. She spoke with pride about the training she had received, her happiness radiating through her words. It was living proof that empowerment is not just a concept but a change that shows on a person’s face.

We closed the day with a lively demonstration: the Smile team showed villagers a variety of fruits and vegetables and explained how to cut and prepare them for healthy meals. Even as the rain poured down harder and the streets turned into rivers, the atmosphere remained joyful. By the time we reached our car, completely drenched, I carried with me not discomfort but a heart full of happy memories.

This visit left me inspired and humbled. The eagerness of the women and children to learn, to improve their health, and to build better livelihoods reminded me that education and empowerment are the strongest tools for change.

Smile

Which Skills Will AI Replace — and Which Will It Amplify?

Post author By Smile Foundation
Post date October 22, 2025
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The Youth Is Skilled, Where Are the Jobs?

For decades, Artificial Intelligence (AI) was something we imagined in science fiction — a vision of the future. That future is now here. From voice assistants and chatbots to self-driving cars and automated workplaces, AI has rapidly become part of everyday life. It no longer just performs repetitive tasks; it now thinks, learns and even creates, reshaping how we live and work.

As AI evolves, the job market is transforming alongside it. Routine and data-driven roles are increasingly being automated, while entirely new ones are emerging — roles that demand digital fluency, critical thinking and human adaptability. The real challenge now is to understand not only which skills AI is making redundant but also which ones it is amplifying — and how we can prepare for this shift rather than resist it.

Which Skills is AI making Redundant?

AI has become one of the most powerful forces reshaping industries. Once considered futuristic, it now powers everything from automated banking systems to logistics hubs and smart factories. Its growing intelligence raises important questions about the future of jobs — and what it means to be human in a world of machines.

The short-term effects are already visible. AI excels at automating routine, rule-based tasks — anything that can be broken down into clear, predictable steps. Data entry, transcription and form processing are being overtaken by algorithms that perform these tasks faster, more accurately, and without fatigue.

According to a 2023 Goldman Sachs report, nearly 300 million full-time jobs worldwide could eventually be automated by AI. The IMF projects that 40% of global jobs will be affected in some form. The most vulnerable are administrative and clerical roles, which involve processing large volumes of structured data. Organisations now use AI-powered tools to handle invoices, schedule workflows and even screen job applications. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) — once a buzzword — is now replacing junior-level administrative jobs.

But AI’s reach extends beyond data. It’s entering creative and technical fields once thought uniquely human. Generative AI can now produce written content, design graphics, compose music and write computer code. Junior programmers increasingly rely on coding assistants like GitHub Copilot, which can generate and debug code automatically. Research shows that such tools can automate up to 40% of programming tasks, reducing the need for entry-level developers. Similarly, journalists and content writers are already competing with AI systems that can produce short news summaries, reports and marketing copy in minutes.

In manufacturing and logistics, the transformation is even more visible. Robots perform repetitive physical tasks with precision and endurance. McKinsey’s 2024 report estimates that by 2030, up to 25% of tasks across all industries could be automated — particularly those that are routine or labour-intensive.

This does not necessarily mean mass unemployment. What it does mean is a profound restructuring of what work looks like. The key question isn’t whether AI will replace jobs — it’s which parts of jobs it will replace and how humans can build the skills to fill what remains.

Artificial Intelligence is creating New Roles

Artificial Intelligence may displace some roles, but it also creates new ones. Every technological revolution has done so. The rise of AI has already accelerated demand for specialists in data science, AI ethics, cybersecurity and digital policy.

These are roles that require oversight, judgment and creativity — qualities AI cannot replicate. As machines take over predictable tasks, human attention shifts to strategy, design and the kind of problem-solving that requires context and empathy.

The challenge, however, is that this transition demands reskilling on a global scale. Workers will need access to continuous learning and education systems will need to teach not just digital skills but adaptive, human ones — the ability to collaborate with technology rather than compete against it.

Those who learn to work with AI, rather than fear it, will shape the next wave of innovation.

Which Skills will Artificial Intelligence not Replace?

Paradoxically, the more sophisticated Artificial Intelligence becomes, the more valuable uniquely human skills will be.

Creativity, critical thinking, emotional intelligence and ethical judgment are not programmable. AI can generate art, but it cannot feel awe. It can write a poem, but not mean it. It can optimise a process, but it cannot decide why it should exist in the first place.

In creative industries, AI can assist — but not originate. It can help a writer brainstorm or a designer visualise, but it cannot substitute imagination or emotional resonance. Genuine originality, empathy and purpose remain the hallmarks of human contribution.

AI also struggles with ambiguity. It can analyse, but it cannot interpret uncertainty or understand human nuance. Financial analysts, researchers and strategists rely on judgment shaped by experience and intuition — things AI lacks.

Equally, jobs that depend on human connection — healthcare, education, leadership, counselling — are unlikely to be automated. These roles rely on empathy, persuasion and moral understanding. A robot might help manage patient data, but it cannot hold a hand or deliver difficult news with compassion. AI can provide information, but it cannot build trust.

Furthermore, as AI becomes more powerful, it introduces new risks — bias, misinformation, ethical dilemmas and accountability gaps. This means there will be an even greater demand for professionals who can design, regulate and oversee AI systems responsibly. Lawyers, ethicists and human-centered designers will play vital roles in ensuring AI aligns with human values.

In short, AI will replace repetitive and data-heavy tasks — but it will also elevate the value of being human. Creativity, empathy, collaboration and ethical reasoning are not “soft skills.” They are the future’s most resilient assets.

Integrating AI into Education

Education will be the front line of this transformation. If work is changing, learning must too.

AI offers immense promise in education, particularly in STEM fields. It can personalise learning, automate grading and provide intelligent tutoring. By analysing educational data, AI can identify gaps and help teachers tailor instruction more effectively.

Smile Foundation is already leveraging technology and AI to make education more inclusive and future-ready. Working with governments and schools, the organisation brings quality digital learning to remote areas through technology-enabled classrooms and teacher training.

Our focus on STEM-based, AI-integrated teaching helps educators use digital tools in classrooms, conduct interactive workshops and inspire curiosity through hands-on activities like robotics, 3D printing and astronomy. By combining human creativity with technological precision, Smile Foundation is preparing teachers and students to thrive in a digital world.

The Way Forward

AI will continue to reshape economies and societies — not as a single wave of automation, but as an evolving partnership between human and machine intelligence.

The real winners will not be those who resist change, but those who adapt, learn and lead with empathy. The question is not how many jobs AI will replace, but how many human possibilities it will expand.

In this new world, the most essential skill may be the one that’s always defined us — the ability to keep learning.

Tags #AIAndJobs

Skill Development

How STeP Stands Apart from Other Skilling Schemes

Post author By Smile Foundation
Post date October 21, 2025
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Upskilling: The next logical step for better livelihood opportunities

In India’s crowded cities, the story of aspiration often begins in narrow lanes where dreams are bigger than the means to chase them. Young people across these spaces are ready to work, to learn to earn their way forward. What they often lack is not determination, but direction.

That’s where India’s vast skilling ecosystem comes in — a mix of large government programmes and targeted, community-led models. On one hand, national initiatives like Skill India, PMKVY and DDU-GKY aim to train millions across the country. On the other, smaller but focused programmes like Smile Foundation’s STeP (Smile Twin e-Learning Programme) take a ground-up approach, turning individual stories of struggle into stories of progress.

Both are essential. But the difference lies in how they reach people, and what they leave behind.

The Landscape of Government Skilling

India’s government skilling ecosystem is among the largest in the world. Through dedicated frameworks like the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF), these schemes deliver training, certification and financial support across states and sectors.

Their scale is their strength — building national capacity, promoting employability and reaching rural and urban youth alike. Yet, scale can also create distance. The deeper a system goes, the harder it becomes to keep it human, flexible and context-driven.

That’s where smaller, more responsive models can make a difference.

From Promise to Possibility: The Birth of STeP

When Smile Foundation launched STeP in 2007, the idea was not to compete with government initiatives, but to fill the spaces between them — to work with youth who might otherwise fall through the cracks.

Targeting those aged 18–25, STeP offers market-aligned training in English, computers, communication and service-sector skills. But the real difference lies in its approach combining technical learning with confidence-building, mentorship and placement support.

What began with a few centres has now grown into a national network, training tens of thousands of young people and helping many secure employment in respected brands.

Six Ways STeP Differentiates Itself

1️⃣ Personalisation and Holistic Development

Government schemes include soft-skill modules, but large-scale delivery often limits how personal training can get.

STeP fills that gap by investing in communication, personality development and English proficiency, alongside technical skills.

In its 2017 assessment, STeP conducted 213 employer engagement sessions and 203 industry visits, giving participants both exposure and confidence — something no classroom alone can teach.

2️⃣ Agility and Market Relevance

STeP’s curriculum isn’t static. It adapts to emerging market needs, introducing modules in digital marketing, healthcare assistance, e-logistics and supply chain management.

While policy frameworks in government schemes can take time to evolve, STeP’s flexibility allows it to respond quickly to what employers actually need.

3️⃣ Reaching Marginalised Urban Youth

Unlike many government schemes that struggle with documentation or outreach barriers, STeP works directly within urban slums and low-income communities.

Its mobilisation teams identify young people who have dropped out of school or lack access to formal skill training — ensuring opportunities reach those most likely to be left out.

4️⃣ Placement and Industry Partnerships

STeP doesn’t end with training; it follows through with employment linkages.

With a Centralised Placement Cell and over 150 partner brands — including Airtel, HDFC, Reliance and Burger King — nearly 70% of trainees have found employment. Feedback from these employers continuously refines training modules, keeping them aligned with real-world expectations.

5️⃣ Support Beyond the Classroom

Training at STeP continues beyond the certificate.

Students receive mentoring, career guidance and even financial literacy sessions to navigate their first jobs. For women, especially, STeP offers a safe space to build self-confidence and balance social challenges with professional aspirations.

6️⃣ Scale vs. Depth — Complementary Strengths

While government programmes achieve extraordinary reach, STeP focuses on depth and quality.

Its certifications, developed with International Management Institute (IMI) and Microsoft, ensure credibility and relevance.
Rather than scale for its own sake, STeP measures success in real livelihoods created — trading breadth for depth, and uniformity for impact.

New Horizons: STeP at Medahally

In 2024, Smile Foundation inaugurated its 35th STeP centre — and its second in Bengaluru — at Medahally, in partnership with Vidyaranya and supported by Bosch India Foundation.

Since inception, STeP has trained over 13,750 youth and placed 9,850 across 140 brands. The new centre, the seventh in southern India, reflects the programme’s purpose: bridging aspiration and opportunity with targeted, human-centred learning.

Stories That Bring the Difference Home

Behind every statistic, there’s a story.

Neha, a commerce graduate from a low-income family, joined STeP’s digital marketing course and now earns ₹13,000 a month.

Mohammad Ibrahim, who had dropped out of school, now works in the service sector after completing his training.

Women like Shivani, Priyanka and Nisha overcame social and financial barriers, built confidence, and found employment in sectors like banking and customer service.

These are not isolated successes — they’re proof that the right combination of training, mentorship and opportunity can transform entire families’ futures.

The Difference That Makes a Difference

STeP is not an alternative to government skilling schemes — it’s a complement. It reaches those who remain invisible to larger systems, providing them with not only employability but dignity.

As India works to turn its demographic dividend into real social progress, STeP offers a reminder: scale matters, but human connection matters more.

Education

Teacher Shortages in Early Grades: Scope and Consequences

Post author By Smile Foundation
Post date October 20, 2025
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Teacher's Day 2024: Changing Student-Teacher Relationship

India faces a persistent shortage of qualified teachers, especially in primary and upper-primary schools. Recent government analyses highlight this crisis – a parliamentary committee reported “around 10 lakh vacancies of teachers in SSA-funded schools… and around 7.5 lakh vacancies at the elementary and primary levels”. Times of India notes that some states (e.g. Bihar, Karnataka, Rajasthan) have tens of thousands of unfilled posts and hundreds of schools operating with only one or two teachers. These gaps push actual pupil–teacher ratios far above the NEP 2020 guideline of 30:1 (25:1 in disadvantaged areas). For example, Bihar reports over 14,000 schools exceeding a 40:1 ratio and national data show many schools disobeying PTR norms.

The shortage is acute in rural and remote areas. Tribal and impoverished regions often lack even a minimal cadre of educators; one report cites districts with up to a dozen schools each having no permanent teachers. Contractual “guest” teachers or Shiksha Mitras (community instructors) fill some gaps, but coverage is uneven.

This teacher scarcity has serious implications for foundational learning. Without enough trained teachers, early grades struggle to deliver basic literacy and numeracy. Many schools resort to multi-grade teaching or overburdened teachers, diluting individual attention. Studies show that a high share of learning time is lost when teachers are absent or juggling multiple grades. Ultimately, rising school enrolment (now >95% among 6–14 year olds) has not fully translated into basic skills for children.

In short, India’s quantitative gains in enrolment now risk being undermined by inadequate teacher capacity and staffing.

Systemic Challenges in Teaching Quality and Deployment

Beyond sheer headcount, systemic issues constrain teaching quality in foundational grades. Pre-service training remains weak: a proposed overhaul of the Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed) degree raised alarms among experts that it could shrink the pipeline of teachers. Many current teachers lack specialised FLN methods; rote instruction still dominates classrooms despite new pedagogical goals. Over 70% of teaching time is spent on traditiona, rote pedagogy often because curricula and teacher preparation emphasise coverage over comprehension.

Teacher deployment is also uneven. Urban or better-off districts often have surplus or qualified staff, while remote areas rely on untrained local hires. Research on India’s para-teacher programmes (e.g. Shiksha Karmi in Rajasthan) notes that these local educators boost attendance and community ties precisely because they share language and background with students. However, para-teachers often have lower pay, minimal training and tenuous contracts – factors that undermine retention.

Even regular teachers face challenges: delayed recruitment drives, inflexible transfers and uncompetitive salaries lead many to leave or remain absent. Haryana, for example, has had to shuffle teachers (making Hindi specialists teach English) and resort to online lectures for science due to acute staff gaps.

Retention and motivation problems compound these issues. Teacher absenteeism is endemic (often cited around 25–40% nationally) and many educators perform non-teaching duties or manage classes with 40–50 students. These factors reduce instructional time. About 45% of classroom time is lost to such disruptions. Even when teachers are present, insufficient support and outdated training mean they are ill-equipped to teach FLN.

A study found that only about one-third of teachers felt their in-service training was useful. In short, India’s education system currently prioritises inputs (buildings, enrolment numbers, teacher counts) over actual learning outcomes. This disconnect – combined with policy inertia – means that without external support, many early-grade students may enter Grade 3 without the reading and math foundations they need.

NGO-led Solutions for Foundational Learning Gaps

NGOs have stepped in to bridge these systemic gaps, tailoring grassroots solutions where public systems fall short. Their proximity to communities and flexibility allow them to pilot and scale innovative teaching models. Broadly, NGOs contribute in ways such as supplemental instruction, community educators, teacher training, digital resources, localised curricula and mobilising parents/community.

For example, NGOs often operate after-school or bridge classes to provide remedial and enrichment teaching outside the formal school timetable. These programmes (like Pratham’s renowned Teaching at the Right Level initiative) group children by learning level rather than age, ensuring that all basics are covered. Rigorous evaluations (e.g. J-PAL studies of the “Balsakhi” volunteer-tutor program) show that such remedial tutoring significantly lifts reading and math scores.

Supplemental/Remedial Teaching: NGOs set up learning camps, “bridge schools” or study centers that hire local instructors or volunteers. These centers focus on foundational skills – teaching children to read simple stories or solve basic arithmetic through activity-based methods. For instance, Pratham’s TaRL volunteers in many states have demonstrated large learning gains at low cost. Similarly, small local NGOs organise mid-day learning clubs or distribute simple workbooks to reinforce what under-staffed schools cannot cover. These interventions effectively add instructional time and personalised attention, helping children catch up.
Community-based Educators: Many NGOs recruit and train community educators – often local youth or mothers – to serve as paraprofessional teachers. Because they speak the local language and live in the village, these educators can engage closely with students and families. In India’s history, models like Rajasthan’s Shiksha Karmi and UP’s Siksha Mitra show that local teachers improve attendance and link schools to their communities. Newer NGO programmes echo this: local women literacy workers might visit homes to teach alphabets or youth serve as “learning coordinators” in multigrade classes. These community educators do not fully replace certified teachers, but they multiply human resources and keep classrooms functioning when official teachers are scarce.
Teacher Capacity Building: NGOs run extensive training and mentoring programmes for existing teachers, with a focus on FLN pedagogy. They conduct in-service workshops on interactive and activity-based methods, classroom management and use of local materials. For example, Smile Foundation’s education arm hosts training camps in STEM, storytelling and child-centered teaching (see below). Other NGOs pair experienced educators with government teachers for peer learning. Research shows that experiential, classroom-based training helps teachers shift away from rote drills to more engaging techniques. Importantly, NGOs often work within government schools – modelling lessons or providing co-teaching support – so that over time teachers absorb these practices.
Digital and EdTech Solutions: Leveraging technology, NGOs are deploying smart classes, tablets and digital libraries to enrich understaffed classrooms. Smart boards with preloaded FLN content let a single teacher deliver multimedia lessons on letters, numbers and stories. Mobile apps and offline learning devices engage children in basic reading/math games even when teachers are not present. For instance, Smile Foundation partners and other NGOs install solar-powered digital kits in rural schools, offering animated lessons on local language and numeracy. These tools don’t replace teachers, but they serve as aides – making lessons self-paced and visually engaging. As one analysis notes, NGOs increasingly provide smart TVs or tablets with curriculum-aligned content, thus empowering teachers to deliver richer lessons.

Students in a Smile Foundation smart classroom engage with interactive digital lessons. NGO-supported tech (e.g. tablets, smartboards) can enrich foundational literacy and numeracy instruction when teachers are few.

Localised Curriculum and Materials: NGOs often create or distribute learning materials that resonate with local context. This includes storybooks in regional languages, math kits using locally available objects and picture-sheets aligned to the cultural setting. By providing these, NGOs help teachers (who may lack resources) make lessons relatable. For example, some NGOs compile collections of folk tales or primers in tribal dialects to ensure early literacy is home-grounded. These resources compensate for gaps in official textbooks and support teachers in multi-grade classes.
Community Mobilisation: Recognising that teacher shortages often worsen when parents undervalue early schooling, NGOs mobilise families and community leaders. They form parent groups or mothers’ committees to monitor learning and keep children in school. By raising awareness of FLN (e.g. educating parents on the importance of grade-appropriate reading), NGOs boost enrolment and attendance – indirectly justifying more teachers. They also advocate locally (with panchayats or district officials) to press for teacher appointments. This grassroots advocacy has prompted some states to launch accelerated recruitments. Overall, as one NGO analysis notes, “from improving infrastructure to training teachers, from distributing digital resources to mobilizing community participation, NGOs are making education not just accessible, but meaningful”.

Together, these NGO roles create complementary scaffolding around government schools. They do not aim to replace public schooling but to reinforce it: supplementing instruction where teachers are thin, raising teacher skills where training is weak and leveraging technology and community support to compensate for resource gaps.

Smile Foundation’s Mission Education: A Case Study

Smile Foundation’s Mission Education is a prominent example of how an NGO can tackle multiple dimensions of the teacher gap in FLN. Operating in over 27 states, Smile’s education programmes directly reach ~1.6 lakh children through 735 Mission Education Centres (spanning pre-primary to senior secondary) and by supporting 12,660+ government schools. The NGO emphasises a four-pronged, child-centred approach: investing in infrastructure and digital tools, building teacher capacity and engaging communities.

In tech-enabled learning environments, Smile installs digital classrooms in supported schools. These “smart” rooms come with projectors, interactive whiteboards or tablets loaded with curriculum-aligned content in local languages. Children in these classes experience animated storytelling, phonics songs and math games – an approach quite different from rote lessons.

Over the past year, we established multiple digital labs as part of enriching the learning environment. Teachers receive training to operate this equipment, so technology augments rather than replaces them.

Simultaneously, teacher development is a key pillar. Smile conducts regular training sessions (often in workshops or onsite demonstrations) for government teachers in its network. In the last year, Smile facilitated 86 training sessions attended by 482 teachers and 116 school heads. These sessions cover modern pedagogies like activity-based learning, foundational literacy methods, STEM education, classroom management and lesson planning. The focus is on making classes interactive and inclusive.

Notably, Smile aligns its training to the NIPUN Bharat and NEP 2020 goals of FLN, ensuring teachers learn how to engage early graders effectively. By upskilling hundreds of local teachers each year, Smile helps fill the “training gap” that public systems often neglect. This empowers teachers who remain in place, so that even in understaffed schools, the available educators can deliver higher-quality FLN instruction.

Community involvement is the third prong of Smile’s model. They mobilise parents and local stakeholders through mother-teacher associations and community meetings. By involving mothers’ groups and panchayats, Smile encourages communities to monitor schooling, prevent dropouts and even identify potential local candidates to train as volunteer aides. In many villages, Smile staff work with village education committees to track which children need help and to ensure classrooms are functioning. This community focus not only keeps children in school but also creates accountability for teacher attendance and performance. In areas where official teacher attendance is erratic, community vigilance ensures that programmes like Smile’s do reach the intended students.

Finally, Smile directly provides learning materials and support to children. It supplies notebooks, textbooks, math kit tools and storybooks in Hindi and regional languages. It also establishes STEM and language labs in some centers, encouraging self-learning. By filling resource gaps, Smile reduces one factor that often stretches teachers thin (improvising lessons without materials).

In sum, Smile Foundation’s Mission Education programme illustrates the multi-pronged NGO approach: infrastructure + pedagogy + community. The combination of digital classrooms, teacher training and grassroots outreach helps mitigate the effects of teacher shortages. For example, a village primary school supported by Smile may still have only 2 government teachers, but those teachers are backed by smartboards and local teaching aids; they have received fresh training in FLN methods; and enthusiastic mothers’ groups keep children engaged. This integrated support has led to anecdotal improvements: Smile reports higher attendance and rising reading scores in its partner schools.

Other NGOs play similar roles on different scales. For instance, Pratham’s TaRL volunteers and Learning Links Foundation’s Sambal Shiksha programme also supplement regular teaching with tailored FLN camps and training. Tech-focused NGOs (or CSR initiatives) provide tablets loaded with offline reading apps to thousands of rural schools. Meanwhile, community mobilisers like Teach For India alumni or Rural Volunteers help run bridge classes.

Across these varied interventions, the thread is clear: NGOs are filling the chasm left by structural teacher shortfalls. They do so by multiplying adult presence in schools (through volunteers and community teachers), enriching what each teacher can do (through training and tech) and bringing learning resources directly to children. While government reforms aim to systemically improve FLN, on-the-ground change often hinges on such NGO action. By tailoring solutions to local challenges – and continuously adapting to on-site realities – NGOs ensure that even in hard-hit regions, children have a fighting chance at basic reading and math.

Gender

Freeing Women from Unpaid Care

Post author By Smile Foundation
Post date October 19, 2025
1 Comment on Freeing Women from Unpaid Care

Envisioning a World Where Women Truly Lead

When economists and policymakers speak of India’s ambition to become a $7 trillion economy, they often talk about infrastructure, foreign investment, digital innovation and green energy. But one of the most overlooked levers of this transformation lies inside Indian homes: the unpaid care work performed overwhelmingly by women.

Unpaid care—including child-rearing, elder care, cooking, cleaning and fetching water—makes up a significant portion of India’s real economic activity. But because it doesn’t pass through a market transaction, it remains unmeasured in GDP. The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data shows that women in India spend up to six hours a day on unpaid domestic and caregiving responsibilities, compared to men’s average of less than one hour. This disparity has deep implications for labour force participation, productivity and gender equality.

In fact, India’s female labour force participation rate is among the lowest in the world. Much of this is linked not to a lack of willingness or skill, but to the sheer load of unpaid domestic labour. This is the silent tax women pay, restricting their opportunities for paid employment, education or entrepreneurship.

The Economic Case for Change

If this unpaid work were monetised, it could account for nearly 13% of India’s GDP, according to estimates from the International Labour Organization. But the case isn’t just moral or statistical; it’s economic. Reducing women’s unpaid work and enabling their entry into the formal workforce could significantly increase India’s productivity.

A 2023 report by McKinsey estimated that advancing gender parity in India could add $770 billion to GDP by 2025 (but isn’t 2025 getting over already!). Unlocking this requires coordinated efforts in childcare infrastructure, flexible work policies, social norms change and capacity building — all areas where civil society has an outsized role to play.

Smile Foundation and Women Empowerment

Smile Foundation’s livelihood and women empowerment programmes offer a compelling example of how this transformation can be grounded in practical, scalable models.

Through its women-centric STeP (Smile Twin e-Learning Programme), the Foundation trains young women in urban slums in market-aligned skills such as digital marketing, patient care and retail services. The programme includes flexible learning schedules, family counselling and confidence-building workshops, all designed to help women overcome both time poverty and social restrictions.

One graduate, Priyanka from Delhi, once spent her entire day caring for siblings and managing the household. After enrolling in STeP, she received digital and soft-skills training, secured employment in a retail chain and now supports her family financially. Importantly, her working status shifted the dynamics at home: responsibilities are more equitably distributed and her younger siblings have started seeing career possibilities for girls.

In rural areas, Smile Foundation integrates early childhood care and education (ECCE) centres with mother’s support groups. These centres serve a dual purpose of preparing children for school and freeing up hours of women’s time each day, which can be redirected to income-generating or educational activities.

Childcare Infrastructure: A National Gap

India lacks adequate childcare infrastructure, especially in informal and low-income urban areas. According to a 2022 report by UNICEF, only 23% of working women have access to any form of institutional childcare.

Smile Foundation’s approach to solving this includes community-run creches, mobile education units and parental sensitisation sessions. These efforts enable women not just to seek employment but also to sustain it over time.

Norms Change: The Slow Revolution

Even as infrastructure improves, change must also come from within families and communities. Deep-rooted gender norms are not easily dislodged. Smile Foundation works closely with men and boys, organising gender workshops, intergenerational dialogues and father-focused campaigns to foster shared responsibility.

A key insight from our work is that public messaging alone is insufficient. What works better is proximity: seeing one’s neighbour share domestic work or hearing a daughter’s success story can be more persuasive than a government poster.

Smile Foundation’s interventions show that multi-sectoral solutions anchored in local contexts can effectively address unpaid care burdens. Policymakers must integrate care economy measures into mainstream economic planning — from expanding ICDS and Anganwadi services to mandating workplace childcare and funding community creches.

The upcoming Union Budget could, for instance, introduce care credits or tax rebates for caregiving households, incentivise employers to adopt family-friendly practices and fund public awareness campaigns on unpaid care.

From Invisible to Invaluable

For India to meet its growth ambitions, it must start counting what counts. Unpaid care work isn’t a peripheral issue — it is central to economic resilience, human development and social justice.

As India aims to become a $7 trillion economy, it must free half its population from the invisible chains of care work — not by eliminating caregiving, but by redistributing it more fairly and valuing it more visibly. Only then can the country move from promise to possibility, powered equally by the hands of all its people.

Education

Do scholarships reduce dropout rates significantly?

Post author By Smile Foundation
Post date October 18, 2025
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Scholarships in India

The issue of school dropout in India is multifaceted, often rooted in socioeconomic, cultural and systemic inequities. While numerous interventions aim to address this crisis, scholarships have emerged as a key instrument in reducing dropout rates.

The Link Between Financial Hardship and Dropout

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) and Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) data consistently highlight a significant correlation between economic constraints and student dropout. Students from economically disadvantaged households often face pressure to contribute to household income or are unable to afford basic educational expenses such as books, uniforms and transport.

According to UNESCO, 40% of Indian secondary school students drop out before completing their education and financial distress ranks as one of the top three reasons. Scholarships, particularly those designed to meet direct and indirect costs of schooling, can act as a potent deterrent to dropout.

What the Research Says

Empirical Evidence

Multiple randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and longitudinal studies have tested the efficacy of scholarships in increasing retention. For instance, a 2019 World Bank study in Bihar found that conditional cash transfers linked to school attendance reduced dropout rates by 10-15% among girls.

Behavioural Economics and Incentive Design

Scholarships, especially those designed as conditional incentives (e.g., based on attendance or performance), also shape behavioural norms around education. They reinforce the idea that education is an investment with returns, not merely a cost.

Psychological Effects

Beyond economics, scholarships often serve as psychological affirmations for students. They validate students’ academic journeys, bolstering self-worth and resilience against systemic challenges.

Smile Foundation’s Approach: Shiksha Na Ruke and Beyond

Smile Foundation’s scholarship interventions illustrate a layered and holistic approach. Launched as part of the broader Mission Education programme, the Shiksha Na Ruke initiative provides need-based scholarships to children from disadvantaged communities.

Outcomes:
According to Smile Foundation’s internal review, dropout rates among students receiving scholarships under Shiksha Na Ruke fell below 5%, compared to an average urban slum dropout rate of 15%.

Case Studies

Meena (Kolkata): A class 10 student, Meena was at the brink of dropping out due to her father’s illness and loss of income. A timely scholarship enabled her to complete her board exams and pursue nursing training.
Aamir (Lucknow): An aspiring engineer, Aamir faced pressure to leave school and join his uncle’s workshop. The scholarship covered his school fees and connected him to STEM mentorship, keeping him on track.

Do All Scholarships Work Equally?

Not necessarily. The impact of scholarships depends on:

Timing: Interventions made during transitional phases (e.g., class 5 to 6, or 10 to 11) are more impactful.
Targeting: Need-based and merit-cum-means scholarships are more effective than blanket schemes.
Complementary Infrastructure: Scholarships must be paired with systemic improvements like good teachers, accessible schools and parental involvement.

Challenges and Caveats

Leakages and Mismanagement: Inefficiencies in delivery mechanisms can dilute scholarship impacts.
One-time Grants vs. Continuous Support: Single-year scholarships often fall short of sustaining students through full educational cycles.
Gendered Impacts: Girls face multidimensional dropout triggers, including early marriage, which financial support alone cannot resolve.

Policy Recommendations

Integrate Scholarship Data with UDISE+: Real-time tracking can inform targeting.
Leverage CSR and NGO Partnerships: Organizations like Smile Foundation can help scale impactful models.
Include Mental Health and Career Guidance: Scholarships should go beyond finances to address holistic development.

Bridging the Last Mile

Scholarships, when designed and delivered effectively, can indeed reduce dropout rates significantly. Their impact is strongest when they are part of a broader ecosystem of support. Smile Foundation’s model, which combines financial, emotional and community support, offers a replicable blueprint. As India moves towards inclusive growth and a $5 trillion economy, ensuring that no child drops out due to financial hardship is not just a moral imperative, but a strategic necessity.

Smile CSR

Community-Led Solutions for India’s Healthcare System

Post author By Smile Foundation
Post date October 17, 2025
No Comments on Community-Led Solutions for India’s Healthcare System

India, with a population exceeding 1.41 billion, still has a significant number of impoverished citizens. As a signatory to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, India is dedicated to ensuring that “no one is left behind.” Addressing each of these goals, particularly for the rural population, is vital for the nation’s holistic development. In this context, we must acknowledge the current state of the India’s healthcare system.

A vast institution spanning the country, India’s healthcare system has received numerous accolades, particularly during the 2020 pandemic. Serving both urban and rural communities, it is a crucial pillar of the nation. However, despite its efforts to provide quality healthcare to every individual, it faces serious challenges, including manpower shortages and the slow advancement of accessible quality healthcare access in remote areas.

India’s Health Profile

India’s healthcare system has made remarkable improvements, evidenced by better outcomes and numbers in life expectancy, vaccination rates and advancements in cancer research. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the country boasts approximately 161,829 sub-medical centres and over 31,000 primary health centres catering to both rural and urban populations.

However, despite these advancements, access to modern healthcare remains challenging in rural India. A survey from the “Bharat Health Index” revealed that only 25% of respondents reported having local access to healthcare. Additionally, 90% of those requiring specialised treatment must travel long distances, while financial barriers persist, with 23% relying on informal loans for medical expenses and 6% selling assets for treatment.

Additionally, the issues of the rising prevalence of four major non-communicable diseases—cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and chronic pulmonary disease—which account for nearly 80% of deaths is also burdening the Indian Healthcare system to cater to every patient.

This situation becomes more alarming, as India’s developed cities are seeing a sudden rise in chronic diseases; Delhi and Kochi are witnessing an uptick in kidney diseases, while Kolkata and Mumbai are facing an increase in cardiovascular issues and heart attacks, particularly among individuals aged 31 to 50.

Given this landscape, one must pause to think: Is our Indian Healthcare System supported enough to address the needs of its growing population and the various medical crises it faces? How can we, as a society, support our healthcare system in delivering quality care across all regions of India?

Government’s efforts towards the Healthcare system in India

The Indian government has been dedicated to transforming the healthcare system into an inclusive institution. Leveraging global insights and technological advancements, it has initiated several programmes aimed at making quality healthcare in India accessible and affordable, even in the most remote areas.

Notable initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), the National Health Mission, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, and Janani Suraksha Yojana have significantly improved accessibility and affordability for underserved communities. These schemes provide individuals with the confidence and hope to seek medical treatment, alleviating the fear of high medical expenses and the lack of treatment facilities.

Digital Revolution of India’s Healthcare

India’s concentration on blending the best of technology within our Indian healthcare system has definitely been a game changer in recent years. The Digital India Revolution has brought significant changes in the healthcare sector with initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat, e-Sanjeevani, e-Hospital, e-blood bank and e-Rakhtkosh– that have allowed India’s medical infrastructure to push its boundaries and to evolve through virtual technologies so that, people living in the remotest corners of the county have the accessibility to get timely medical consultations and treatments as preventive solutions rather than just curative mechanisms.

Quality Healthcare & Smile on Wheels

Complimenting the government’s mission, Smile Foundation health intervention, Smile On Wheels, is redefining last-mile healthcare delivery. These technology-enabled mobile medical units, reach communities that lie far beyond the reach of conventional healthcare infrastructure- villages, hilly terrains, flood-prone regions and urban slums.

With over 100 units operational across India, Smile on Wheels provides preventive, promotive and curative healthcare services; supported by doctors, nurses and trained paramedics, each unit is equipped with advanced telemedicine technology, capable of conducting 40+ diagnostic tests remotely enabling real time consultations for conditions ranging from maternal health to chronic illness. This initiative directly contributes to SDG 3- Good Health and Well being, while reinforcing the principle that healthcare should not be a privilege, but a fundamental right.

Building Health Equity Through Collaboration

While government initiatives lay foundation, the role of corporate partnerships with NGOs in India for bridging persistent healthcare gaps is crucial. Strategic CSR partnerships can drive scalable health innovations such

Strengthen preventive and primary healthcare access for underserved families
Co-create scalable, tech-enabled healthcare models aligned with SDG targets
Build a measurable impact narratives that reflect your brand’s commitment to inclusive development and employee-driven purpose

Let’s build a healthier tomorrow to ensure that no child misses school due to illness, no mother is denied care due to distance and no family is pushed into poverty by medical costs. Partner with us to create scalable, sustainable healthcare impact across rural India.

Sources–

Rural Health Statistics, 2021-22

5 health problems responsible for nearly 80% of deaths in India

Tags #csrinhealthcare, #ReducingLoadOnHealthcareSystem

Girl Child

Global and Indian Gender Gaps in STEM

Post author By Smile Foundation
Post date October 17, 2025
No Comments on Global and Indian Gender Gaps in STEM

More Girls in Science: Always Good News

Despite gains in girls’ schooling worldwide, women remain a minority in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). UNESCO reports that women account for only about 35% of STEM graduates worldwide, a figure unchanged over the past decade. Even as more girls attend school, gendered biases and social norms often limit their subject choices. This global shortfall has economic and social costs: countries miss out on women’s talents in innovation and research, and technologies risk being shaped by a predominantly male perspective.

Globally, STEM fields remain male-dominated. Studies consistently show that at school, girls perform as well as or better than boys in science and math, yet far fewer continue to STEM careers. Girls often match or exceed boys in math and science test scores, but disproportionately drop out of STEM pathways. Despite women earning 54% of all university degrees, they make up only 34% of researchers worldwide.

In many countries, stereotyped teaching and materials reinforce boys’ identification with science. For instance, surveys in Latin America found that up to 20% of math teachers believed mathematics is easier for boys, a bias shown to undermine girls’ confidence. Similarly, experiments reveal that professors rated identical applications from female science students as less competent than those from males. These stereotypes and biases – in classrooms, textbooks, homes and workplaces – create a “leaky pipeline,” where talented girls are channeled away from STEM by invisible barriers.

Global research identifies several key barriers for girls in STEM, often interlinked:

Social norms and stereotypes: Widespread beliefs (e.g. that science/math are “for boys”) discourage girls from pursuing STEM. Parents and teachers may subconsciously steer girls toward traditionally “feminine” fields. Surveys show parents often prefer sons for STEM careers and boys rate male peers as more “knowledgeable” in science, even when girls outperform them.
Access to education and resources: In many regions, girls face practical obstacles to STEM learning. Poor infrastructure (lack of science labs, computers or internet), long travel distances to school and even safety concerns can limit girls’ schooling, especially in rural areas. Girls are particularly under-represented in STEM education not because they learn less, but because they have fewer opportunities to continue in those subjects.
Economic constraints: Families under financial strain often prioritise sons’ education, viewing boys as future breadwinners. Studies (e.g. by Sattva Institute) find that the high cost of science degrees leads some families to invest in sons’ schooling over daughters’. Without scholarships or support, talented girls may drop out or choose lower-cost streams.
Curricular and institutional biases: Even where girls attend STEM classes, curricula and teaching often lack female role models. Textbooks frequently depict scientists as men, reinforcing the idea that STEM fields are male domains. Schools rarely offer targeted encouragement for girls in science and girls report less confidence in subjects like math despite equal ability.
Workplace and societal discrimination: The bias doesn’t end with education. Women in STEM careers face lower pay, fewer promotions and hostile work cultures. Global surveys (e.g. by Kelly Services) report that a majority of women in tech feel their colleagues believe men are genetically better at math and science. Such discrimination drives many women out of STEM jobs over time.

Collectively, these factors mean that girls’ high academic achievement in early schooling doesn’t translate to STEM careers. For example, girls in many countries match or exceed boys in math/science proficiency, yet globally women make up only about 22–29% of STEM professionals (estimates vary by field and region). This discrepancy – the “double bind” of performing well but being underrepresented – underscores the role of social and cultural barriers over ability.

Gender Gaps in STEM in the Indian Context

Many of the global factors above are pronounced in India, where gender norms and resource gaps intersect. India actually stands out for having a relatively high share of women enrolling in STEM classes, yet their numbers still dwindle. For instance, one analysis finds that women make up about 43% of all STEM graduates in India (the highest rate globally), yet only 27% of these women enter STEM careers. Engineering is even more skewed: Indian women accounted for just 30.2% of undergraduate engineering enrolments in 2020–21, down from 33.7% in 2012. In popular fields like Computer Engineering, women were only ~34% of students.

These gaps reflect both demand-side and supply-side issues. On the supply side, many government schools – especially in rural areas – simply lack STEM infrastructure. A report by Smile Foundation notes that only 32% of India’s schools have a computer and only 24% a “smart” classroom. In village schools, students may never see basic science lab equipment.

Culturally, rural girls face greater discouragement: girls in rural India are 40% less likely than boys to pursue STEM subjects after primary school Early marriage and household expectations can force girls to drop out of school before 10th grade. Safety concerns, long commutes and household chores also disproportionately affect girls’ attendance.

On the demand side, Indian society often steers talented girls away from STEM. Widespread attitudes frame science and technology as masculine fields. Even in urban middle-class families, parents may pressure daughters to choose medicine, teaching or arts over engineering, fearing that STEM careers demand long hours or relocation. A Smile Foundation analysis attributes the decline of women in engineering largely to societal perceptions and workplace challenges.

Economic factors play a role too: STEM degrees (engineering, tech) are expensive and with limited family resources some girls are pushed toward lower-cost degrees. An IWWAGE study highlights that when budgets are tight, Indian families often invest in sons’ technical education rather than daughters’.

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER 2023) found that of all Class XI+ students, only about 31.7% were in STEM fields (Physics, Chemistry, Math, Biology), vs 55.7% in Arts/Humanities. Within that small STEM cohort, girls – especially from rural or disadvantaged backgrounds – are a minority. Even those who graduate in science or engineering face attrition: workplace surveys indicate women hold just 26% of India’s data-science and AI jobs and only 15% in engineering roles. Thus India mirrors the global trend: good academic performance by girls at school does not translate into equal representation in STEM professions.

Gender Gaps in STEM: Stereotypes, Biases and Systemic Factors

Across India and the world, gender stereotypes play out early. Children internalise notions that boys are “good at math” and girls are “good at reading.” Studies of classroom dynamics show that boys often get more attention in science class and girls receive less encouragement to explore. In India, this can mean that by middle school girls start to self-select out of advanced science courses. Without visible female scientists around them, many girls assume “science isn’t for me.” This is reinforced by media and advertising: most technology and engineering-related ads feature men. Role models and mentors are crucial – when girls see women succeeding in STEM, it challenges stereotypes.

In higher education and work, institutional biases become evident. Indian data suggest that even when women enroll in STEM degrees, far fewer stay. For example, between 2013–14 and 2021–22, India saw a 43% drop in women taking postgraduate engineering and IT courses. Experts attribute this to factors like lack of flexible hours, limited maternity leave and few women-friendly policies. Female engineers report being sidelined for fieldwork or assignments due to “safety” excuses. In corporate tech, women often hit a career ceiling as promotions favour male employees. Such workplace barriers not only deter entry but also push many women out of STEM jobs.

A broader intersectional factor in India is caste and class. Research indicates that girls from lower socioeconomic backgrounds face compounded obstacles: fewer schools, financial poverty and in some cases, discrimination at home or school. There are reports of Dalit girls experiencing harassment and leaving college. Unfortunately, much of this data is qualitative, but it underscores that the issue is not just gender – it’s gender plus other vulnerabilities. This aligns with UN Women’s observation that STEM gaps are largest for girls facing multiple disadvantages (poverty, disability, caste, etc.).

Bringing Data to Life: The “Leaky Pipeline”

The cumulative effect of these biases is that the transition from education to employment in STEM is much smaller for women. UNESCO’s Cracking the Code research shows that globally women earn just 35% of STEM degrees but only about 22–29% of STEM jobs (lower still in many tech fields). Similarly, World Bank analysis finds women are over 50% of university grads but only 34% of researchers. In India, recent data tell a similar story: despite one of the world’s largest young populations of female graduates, women are under 30% of engineering and tech professionals. This “pipeline leak” happens because at each stage – subject choice, college specialisation, job entry and career retention – women drop out at higher rates than men.

Studies also highlight the feedback loop of stereotypes and confidence. Girls who are constantly told (even subtly) that boys are better at science tend to lose confidence, which in turn affects their class participation and exam performance. Over time, a girl’s interest in STEM may wane for lack of positive reinforcement.

In India, concerted efforts have increased girls’ school enrolment, but making STEM relatable and accessible requires changing deep-rooted attitudes. Even the way STEM is taught – often by rote and with few interactive experiments in government schools – can fail to spark girls’ curiosity.

Government and Civil Society Responses

Recognising the gap, the Indian government and international organisations have launched initiatives to boost girls in STEM. For example, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has set up thousands of tinkering labs in schools (over 10,000 nationally) to encourage hands-on science learning among students – and many of these explicitly target girls The Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan promotes science fairs and mentorship in rural schools, often with a focus on girl students.

The National Education Policy 2020 even mandates coding education from primary grades, which could help normalise tech from an early age. However, reports note that only about half of school STEM policies specifically include measures for girls. Internationally, UNESCO and UNICEF emphasize training teachers in gender-sensitive pedagogy and distributing feminine hygiene products to keep girls in class. UNESCO’s Cracking the Code and other studies have spawned advocacy campaigns (e.g. “#GirlsCrackTheCode”) to raise awareness.

Beyond policy, civil society and the private sector have crucial roles. Non-profits run after-school science clubs, scholarship programmes and campaigns to encourage girls. Companies host “Girls Who Code”–style workshops and offer internships to young women.

The Times of India reports that India’s tech industry has launched skilling programmes: for instance, the Nasscom Foundation collaborates with tech firms to train female STEM graduates in coding and data skills. These efforts acknowledge that women also need mentorship and networks to navigate STEM careers. Early results show promise: where dedicated programmes support girls (with resources, female instructors and encouragement), more girls stay in STEM tracks.

Smile Foundation’s Initiatives for Girls in STEM

Smile Foundation has implemented several programmes directly addressing these challenges. Our Mission Education initiative brings hands-on science resources to underserved schools. For example, Smile sets up mini science centers and resource kits in government schools, supplies Do-It-Yourself learning kits and organises science clubs and fairs. Teachers receive training in inclusive STEM pedagogy so that girls are actively engaged. The effect is a shift from passive rote learning to active exploration: students (especially girls and first-generation learners) become curious scientists.

Empowering rural schoolgirls in STEM. To counter the lack of role models and labs, Smile also creates supportive environments for girls. In rural innovation ecosystems, we run “girls in STEM” workshops and mentorship drives where local role models (female engineers, scientists) share their stories. Our STEM labs and fairs have led to a an increase in girls’ participation in science activities. In one Uttar Pradesh project (in partnership with CooperSurgical), Smile opened a science lab for girls in a Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (a residential girls’ school). There, village girls build circuits, run experiments and present projects – experiences which improve their understanding of science and math and bolster confidence.

Smile’s broader girl-focused programmes also reinforce STEM inclusion by addressing dropout barriers. Our She Can Fly campaign provides scholarships, stipends and laptops to disadvantaged girls, and organises life-skills workshops to build confidence. By “meeting girls’ needs holistically,” Smile enables many talented girls to stay in school long enough to reach science classes. We also fund tertiary education through our Scholarship Programme, ensuring that girls who excel in school can go on to college and even technical careers.

In rural areas – where barriers are often highest – Smile’s experience underlines a simple truth: talent is universal, access is not. We deploy mobile STEM labs that travel to remote schools with kits and experiments and train local teachers in inquiry-based science education. We engage parents and community leaders to counter stereotypes, emphasising that girls innovating (like the students building pedal pumps or clean-water filters) can solve real village problems. Through these efforts, there is higher attendance and more girls stepping up as science club presidents or fair winners. These examples illustrate how multi-pronged programmes – combining infrastructure, mentorship and cultural outreach – can begin to close the STEM gap at the local level.

Path Forward

The underrepresentation of girls in STEM is a complex, global issue with local roots. On one hand, girls have the aptitude for science and often perform as well as boys in school yet they leave STEM paths in far greater numbers. On the other hand, the reasons are equally clear. Deeply entrenched gender norms, inadequate school resources (especially in rural and low-income areas) and institutional biases throughout education and employment systematically disadvantage girls.

In comparing nations, we see both progress and paradox. Some countries (including India) have high female STEM enrollment rates at the university level, but that does not guarantee workplace parity. More egalitarian societies still experience STEM gender gaps (the so-called “gender-equality paradox”), underscoring that cultural change must accompany any increase in equality.

Ultimately, addressing the gap means tackling it from all sides: reforming school curricula, training and sensitising teachers, providing girls with mentors and role models, offering financial support and safety nets (scholarships, menstrual health) and enforcing gender-friendly workplace policies.

Smile Foundation shows that integrated community programmes can make a difference. By embedding STEM labs, support networks and girl-centric scholarships into their education outreach, they help keep girls on the STEM track. Other countries and organisations offer similar lessons: hands-on STEM programmes that specifically engage girls, national policies that mandate gender equity in science education and public campaigns to shift stereotypes all play a part.

In the end, bridging the gap is not just a matter of fairness, but one of necessity. Innovation requires the brightest minds regardless of gender. When diversity is missing, the technologies we build can be skewed or incomplete. Only by dismantling cultural and structural barriers at every level can we ensure that the next generation of scientists and engineers fully represents half our population.

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