The report stated that online education is not an option for all as only one in four children has access to digital devices and internet connectivity.

Young children are particularly at risk since the pandemic is exacerbating existing disparities in nutrition, health, and stimulation, and services to support these children are too often overlooked in the pandemic response.

The NITI Aayog has recommended a daily four-hour play-based timetable for children in anganwadis, a survey to identify the three crore out-of-school children, and a focus on improving foundational literacy and numeracy.

Multiple stakeholders of the education ecosystem like CBSE, State Governments and NGOs came together and discussed the way forward if universal foundational literacy and numeracy is to be achieved in India by 2025.

The focus as schools reopen should be to allow children to reacquaint themselves, to catch up and focus on rebuilding their basics, according to Rukmini Banerji, CEO of Pratham. Schools should avoid imposing the curriculum on children and rush to meet examination deadlines.

The Covid-19 pandemic has established a better connect between teachers and parents, which provides a platform to build a home-based curriculum on, according to Ashish Dhawan, Founder and Chairman of Central Square Foundation.

Ashish Dhawan, Founder and Chairman of Central Square Foundation (CSF) and Ashoka University said that there is need to focus on the bottom half of school children as part of reforms in the education sector at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.

“We need to give the teacher right tools so that she can assess the children regularly and lift the bottom half. We will only improve if we can lift the bottom half.” -Ashish Dhawan, Founder-Chairman of Central Square Foundation, said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2020.