The Education Department of Deepak Foundation has evolved into a comprehensive, community-centred initiative to ensure inclusive, equitable, and quality learning opportunities for children and adolescents from underserved communities. Adopting a holistic and life-cycle approach, the department addresses educational needs from early childhood to secondary education while strengthening academic foundations, life skills, and future readiness.
The education interventions focused strongly on early childhood care and education (ECCE), foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN), STEM-based experiential learning, and academic support in core subjects aligned with the objectives of NEP 2020 and the NIPUN Bharat Mission, ensuring that children remain engaged in the education system and are supported to progress confidently through their learning journey. Child-centred, activity-based and blended learning approaches are used to enhance comprehension, curiosity, and retention, supported by digital tools, libraries, storytelling, and hands-on learning experiences.
The department also emphasizes school readiness, scientific temper, creativity, and critical thinking, while integrating vocational exposure, environmental education, sports, and life-skills to support well-rounded development. Strengthening Anganwadi and school ecosystems through improved learning environments, educator capacity building, and child-friendly infrastructure
The Foundation partners with District Education Offices, CSR partners, and local departments to strengthen governance at the grassroots levels. Community engagement is central to the approach by capacitating community women volunteers (Vivek Vidya Sathis and ECCE facilitators), activating Village Education Committees, and engaging parents through counselling. Special emphasis is placed on improving girls’ participation, reducing absenteeism, and supporting first-generation learners. Simultaneously, local women educators are empowered through continuous training and mentorship, contributing to sustainable livelihoods and stronger education systems. Strong monitoring tools, data-driven evaluations, and alignment with NEP 2020 and NIPUN Bharat ensure scalable, replicable, and high-impact education models.
Through these integrated efforts, the Education Department reached more than 75000 children so far across multiple states, nurtures confident learners, resilient communities, and pathways to lifelong learning, aligned with national education priorities and the goal of “Quality education for All”.
Deepak Foundation’s initiated educational journey in communities from Anganwadi Centres only and has been supporting and supervising activities of Anganwadi Centres since 1996 in collaboration with state ICDS departments, CSR partners, and development agencies, ensuring compliance with government norms and quality standards. Started from 40 Anganwadi centres in 1996 at Nandesari, Vadodara, the organization is overlooking 67 Anganwadi Centres in Nandesari (rural) block of Vadodara. Continuing the journey, the program was also initiated in Dabhoi block of Vadodara with 35 Anganwadi centres with support of Rotary Club of Vadodara and in 2025 added 20 more Anganwadi centres making 55 total centres for supporting ICDS services.
Project Vivek Vidya is a flagship initiative of Deepak Foundation providing education services through a mobile education facility. The project aimed at supporting underprivileged government primary school children by strengthening their foundational literacy and numeracy skills. The project’s strategic interventions promote a blended learning approach, ensuring that children receive the quality inputs and remain engaged within education system and reduce the risk of school dropouts.
Presently, the project is enforcing in six regions covering three states of India, Gujarat (Nandesari, Savli, Bharuch), Maharashtra (Roha & Pune) and Telangana (Hyderabad).
Deepak Foundation’s progressive journey to emphasize on multi-disciplinary education and to deliver scientific and practical-based learning through Project “Young Scientist” embarked scientific and technological advancements in government primary school children through STEM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Project “Young Scientist” is currently executing in Nandesari, Vadodara district, Gujarat and Roha, Raigad district, Maharashtra with STEM learning through subject experts.
The aspirational goal of this initiative is to equip students with 21st century skills, like problem solving, analytical & critical thinking and adapt to evolving technology, fostering teamwork and collaboration, retention of knowledge through experimentation and prepares students for future needs. Through such diverse skill-set approach and experiential learning, STEM intervention is empowering young learners of unexplored communities that will create an emerging STEM workforce with their innovative minds and creative potential to thrive in tech-centric society.
Major subjects in secondary education of India like Mathematics, Science, and English face significant challenges, including a deep-seated anxiety towards these subjects among students. Students in the rural area of Nandesari face similar challenges in clearing these subjects in their final exams. To address this, Deepak Foundation, through the Nandesari Education Project, has introduced comprehensive remedial sessions which focus on providing in-depth subject knowledge, conceptual clarity, and easy-to-understand study materials and helping students bridge their learning gaps and overcome their fear of these challenging subjects while fostering a deeper interest in learning.
The project is currently overseeing beneficiaries of secondary grades with an aspirational goal of providing academic assistance and encouraging students to achieve high scores in their final exams.