The J-PAL South Asia team with the Hon’ble Minister and senior officials from the Dept. of School Education and Literacy, Karnataka, after signing the MoU. Photo: GoK

The “learning lab” will enable global research insights to shape Karnataka’s school education policies while giving fresh impetus to scientific evaluations of new and existing school education programmes through randomised evaluations.

The Government of Karnataka’s Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) will work with J-PAL South Asia to rapidly expand the reach of innovative policy solutions that have been effective in strengthening foundational learning and reducing learning gaps of children.

This effort stands to benefit children across age groups, from early childhood to adolescence.

This knowledge and research collaboration enables DoSEL to leverage J-PAL South Asia’s technical expertise to identify, adapt, and implement scientifically-proven education interventions from India and around the world.

A memorandum of understanding was signed by Mr. KN Ramesh , I.A.S, State Project Director, Samagra Shikshana Karnataka, Department of School Education and Literacy, Government of Karnataka and Shobhini Mukerji, Executive Director, J-PAL South Asia, in the presence of Shri. Madhu Bangarappa, Hon’ble Minister for Primary & Secondary Education, Government of Karnataka, Ritesh Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Government of Karnataka and Iqbal Dhaliwal, Global Executive Director, J-PAL.

Shri. Madhu Bangarappa, Hon’ble Minister for Primary & Secondary Education, Government of Karnataka, said, “Robust school education policies are absolutely vital for building a productive and prosperous society. J-PAL South Asia’s experience, expertise and dedication to solve some of the most deeply entrenched development problems makes them a valuable partner in our mission.”

Shobhini Mukerji, Executive Director of J-PAL South Asia, said, “Education isn’t just about getting children into classrooms. It’s about making sure they are learning too. That’s why it’s critical to implement programmes with proven effectiveness to help our children learn and succeed. The Department of School Education and Literacy has set a strong example for others to follow.”

On foundational learning, DoSEL and J-PAL South Asia will explore ways of integrating the Every Child Counts curriculum into Karnataka’s pre-primary school curriculum Chili Pili Plus, reaching 6000 children across six districts. Every Child Counts is a game-based maths curriculum for four-to-six-year-old children that has been refined and tested over six years.

Evidence from randomised evaluations in Delhi led by J-PAL co-founder and Nobel Laureate Esther Duflo and cognitive psychologist Elizabeth Spelke suggests the curriculum improved innate and formal maths skills of children in kindergarten and grade 1.

J-PAL South Asia will also work with DoSEL as a knowledge and research partner on Maru Sinchana and Ganitha Ganaka, two of Karnataka’s newest school education programmes. Maru Sinchana is a targeted instructional programme to boost learning outcomes of students between grades 6 and 10. Ganitha Ganaka is a phone-based, tailored instruction approach to improve math learning among children between grades 3 and 5 across 93 aspirational blocks. Both programmes have been informed by evaluations done in India and around the world by researchers part of J-PAL’s network, including Noam Angrist (University of Oxford), Adrienne Lucas (University of Delaware), and Anne Fitzpatrick (The Ohio State University) among others.

As part of this partnership, a research team led by J-PAL affiliated professor Todd Pugatch (Oregon State University) will be studying the impact of building leadership competencies of head teachers and principals on school improvements, school management practices, and student learning. The study will take place across 396 government secondary schools in Raichur and Bidar districts of Karnataka.

This partnership is supported by a coalition of organisations at the forefront of the evidence-based policymaking movement: USAID’s Development Innovation Ventures, What Works Hub for Global Education, Alokit, Youth Impact, Transform Schools, Mantra4Change, Key Education Foundation and ASPIRE, a joint initiative by J-PAL South Asia and Veddis Foundation set up to drive policy impact at scale.