The Kadam Program for Children at Primary School Level

No child is left behind - Quality education to every child and upward mobility of the communities.

Kadam addresses to the needs of out-of-school children, and a larger population of those children in schools who have learning gaps. The rationale behind the program’s philosophy is to create a platform which could provide children with robust foundational education and holistic learning so as to work their way up towards their own learning needs, thereby bridging their learning gaps.

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Overview

HundrED shortlisted this innovation

HundrED has shortlisted this innovation to one of its innovation collections. The information on this page has been checked by HundrED.

Updated April 2025

Web presence

2014

Established

420K 2024

1

Countries

Students basic

Target group

Kadam's theory of change aims for inclusive, equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for children. Addressing the key challenges of poor learning levels in children and lack of ownership of new initiatives, the need is for experienced NGOs to collaborate with States to expand child-centred educational models that are evidence-based, cost-effective & sustainable.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

In 2010, the Right to Education Act came into force, and it became the States responsibility to ensure that every single child got access to, and carried through the elementary level education (grades 1 to 8). Education, now, became compulsory. The Act also enshrined a no-detention policy, which mandated that all children should study in the grade appropriate to their age, and they should proceed to the next grade, no matter what their test results were. It was a progressive Act laying the foundation for “Quality Education for All”, but at the same time, had formidable challenges of implementation.
The Act opened up an opportunity to further develop the HPPI Out-of-School Children Program with a pathway to scale. Based on the RTE Act and “Education for all” mission, Kadam A Step-UP Program was developed which followed guidelines from the Ministry of Education (MoE) including budget allocation, time of training, the establishment of Special Training Centres, etc.
The Kadam program works towards improving the quality of life of children by providing a platform on the foundation of engaging pedagogy, targeted curriculum and teaching practices. The focus is on children who are out-of-school and need to be brought into mainstream education system, and also, on those who are in the schools and need to enhance their foundational learning to meet age appropriateness.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

Kadam is an accelerated learning program designed on outlines of national frameworks. The targeted Kadam curriculum is a blend of cognitive development through enhancement of subject-based competencies and development of socio-emotional skills through real-life experiences in Thematic Learning, which caters to an all-round development of child.
To address both the domains, the program has been designed as an amalgamation of 10 Steps of foundational learning outcomes, and 11 theme headlines for experiential learning activities. Connecting with the community and generating experiences through social interactions considerably add to children’s learning.
An emphasis is made on peer learning and teamwork by encouraging children to work in small groups and, collectively as whole class. The children are organised in groups of three (trio’s) and work together throughout the year. Kadam has been found effective in multi-graded learning environments wherein children learn progressively from one concept to the next, by steering their individual learning requirements at their own pace. The toolkit for the OOSC programme consists of books and tools meant for children and teachers/education volunteers of the Special Training Centres.

How has it been spreading?

Since 2014, the Kadam program has been implemented in 11 States of India - Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Delhi, J&K, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. Until January 2025, Kadam has enrolled 233,201 out-of-school children in bridge education, of which 173,412 children have been successfully mainstreamed in schools at age-appropriate level. Kadam has also been instrumental in successfully plugging the learning gaps of 164,795 primary school children in, until January 2025. The goal of Kadam has been defined for the next 5 years. By 2030, the aim is reaching scale in more than 80 districts in 8 States of India and directly impacting, at least, 2 million children with improved learning levels. Hence, justification to tag line - No Child is Left Behind!

How have you modified or added to your innovation?

To seek external assistance to assess Kadam processes and tools, HPPI engaged two agencies to conduct a review of the program and its tools and provide recommendations for changes.
1. Impact and Effectiveness of Kadam Step-Up Program: An Evaluation Study (2023)
Based on the Program Outcomes in the States of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh Dr. Asheesh Kumar and Dr. Prakasha Chandra Sahoo, Assistant Professors at School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, carried out an in-depth study of the Kadam program. The study reports the salient features of the program: student’s achievement is mapped against his/her learning outcomes, assessment throughout training period after completion of each step of learning besides baseline and end-line evaluation and extensive use of technology make the program more methodical and effective.
2. Enhancing Kadam Toolkit- Review and Analysis of Competencies, Workbooks and Assessments (2024) by Educational Initiatives.
The comprehensive review of the Kadam program’s competencies, workbook exercises, and assessment papers was undertaken by the team from Educational Initiatives. The analysis focused on ensuring the alignment of competencies with educational frameworks, identifying gaps, and proposing enhancements to optimize student learning outcomes. A meticulous examination of workbook exercises evaluated their diversity, relevance, and cognitive skill development potential, suggesting improvements for more effective engagement.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

Kadam has 3 Operational Models. Model-1 is CSR/Foundation funded & our team identifies target population, provides on-ground support and supervises. In Model-2, our team provides a hand-holding approach to the State where the scope of work is defined & cost is borne by the State. In Model-3, we work as advisory, providing program module and capacity building. Reach out to us at HPPI, New Delhi.

Implementation steps

1. Identify the target population.

This is the first step in the Kadam program implementation. The target population includes 2 different sets of children - one, who are out-of-school (those who have either never been to a school or those who have dropped out of school) and the other set is that of children who are studying in primary schools but do not have age-appropriate learning levels, and hence, have weak foundational literacy and numeracy with learning gaps.

2. Conduct a baseline assessment.

A baseline assessment is conducted to determine learning levels of the children enrolled in the program at the beginning of the intervention. The baseline assessment helps to assess the learning gaps in children, place them at an appropriate step in Kadam and determine their entry and exit level in the program.
For out-of-school children, the baseline is conducted individually, while for children studying in schools, the baseline is conducted collectively for the whole class.

3. Provide Kadam learning books to children.

Based on their entry learning level, Kadam learning books are distributed to children. The Kadam class reflects a picture of a multi-graded classroom wherein each child is at his/her own learning level working towards his/her own goal at his/her own pace.
These learning books comprise of exercises children based on selected foundational learning outcomes that help in building progressive learning in all subject areas, catering to continuous cognitive development & bridging their learning gaps.

4. Provide experiential learning.

To bring about holistic development in children, the curriculum blends formal learning with experiential learning through theme-based activities. It brings enjoyment into the classroom wherein children are involved in activities which enhance their physical and mental skills, bringing them close to real life situations with hands-on activities.
The Theme Book helps to roll out themes. For each month, 1 theme headline is taken up and activities are planned according to the level of the children.

4. Create a peer learning atmosphere in the class

Peer learning is an important element of the Kadam methodology. Children in a Kadam class are grouped in trios (groups of 3). Trio is formed in such a way that at least one child is at a higher learning level. It is an effective 2-way learning process wherein learning flows from one child to another. It involves teamwork engaging children through cooperative learning. Direct interaction between children promotes an active learning environment in the class and develops a strong social bond.

6. Ensure responsible, personalised learning.

The children manage with their own learning at their own pace, and thereby, taking the responsibility of their learning. It provides children with an opportunity to self-evaluate by judging their own abilities and performance. It is not a skill that is taught but an inbuilt component of Kadam and a methodology to follow with the help of tools.
Meri Checklist (checklist on learning outcomes) & Tracking my Progress card (based on checklist) are 2 tools that bring learning ownership in children.

7. Conduct continuous, adaptive assessments.

Adaptive assessments determine learning progress of each child in the program. Apart from the self-assessment that happens on continuous basis, each child is assessed at the end of completion of a grade level in the program. The continuous self-assessment is visible from the completion of MeriChecklist & updating TmP card on daily/weekly basis, while the grade-end test reflects formative assessment after each grade.
End-line assessment is conducted at end of the program for learning progression.

8. Monitor, record and report.

All the activities in Kadam - whether related to progressive learning in subject areas or through experiential learning are monitored and recorded, both on MIS and in written record books. Reports are generated on the learning progression of children on monthly basis and are shared with all the stakeholders on quarterly basis.
Regular monitoring helps to track each child in the program and creates a scope for any subsequent action, if need be.