In 2008, one of the first learning centres run by Chandan Singh and his team functioned on the steps of Ranchi’s Jagannathpur temple. They had no money to rent a room and no one was willing to offer them space. Nearly two decades later, the organisation they built, Pratigya, works across schools and communities in Ranchi and Khunti region, focusing on education, life skills, child participation, and inclusion.
“We realized free tuitions weren’t enough because we could only reach a limited number of children,” Chandan recalled. “To reach those not coming to the center, we needed a structure.”
Founded in 2007, Pratigya emerged from a simple but urgent concern. Children were enrolling in schools, but many were not staying connected to education. For Chandan and his colleagues, the issue was never just access. It was retention, confidence, and the ability to navigate systems that often excluded children from marginalised communities.
An Oath Towards Education
The name “Pratigya” came from a conversation inspired by former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. Chandan shared that a friend had attended one of Kalam’s programmes and returned speaking about the idea of taking an “oath” towards social responsibility, especially quality education for children.
At the time, the group was conducting free tuition classes in the Jagannathpur slum area of Ranchi. But the more they engaged with children and families, the more they understood that the problem ran deeper than academics.
Data from the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan around 2007 showed that enrollment was not the primary challenge. Schools were reaching homes, but children were still dropping out or disengaging from classrooms.
“We found that retention, not enrollment, was the issue,” Chandan said.
Many of these children came from homes where parents worked as daily wage labourers, rickshaw pullers, or vegetable sellers. Domestic violence, substance abuse, and financial instability often shaped their everyday realities. The organisation began by motivating children to attend school regularly and gradually built broader support systems around them.
Reflecting on that influence, Chandan said, “One feeling that we have started our organisation by the inspiration of APJ Abdul Kalam and then we have started a fellowship through that they can work with their community.”
Years later, that idea evolved into Pratigya’s youth fellowship, where local graduates spend two years teaching, learning, and contributing to education within their own communities. For Chandan, it represents a continuation of the same belief that inspired the organisation’s founding: that meaningful change begins when ordinary people take responsibility for the communities around them.
Beyond Textbooks and Attendance
As Pratigya expanded its work, the team realised that children needed more than sponsorships or school admission support.
“Many come from Dalit, tribal, or backward communities and struggle to adapt to the school environment,” Chandan said.
This led to the development of life skills programmes focused on what the organisation calls “agency building”. The idea was to help children make decisions for themselves despite difficult circumstances.
Pratigya started Community Learning Centres where children met multiple times a week to discuss critical thinking, stress management, decision-making, and time management. These interventions later evolved into the organisation’s “Srijan Bachpan” programme.
The organisation also introduced democratic education practices inside the centres. Children participated in elections for roles such as “Center Manager” and “Center Administrator”. They formed election commissions, filed nominations, campaigned, and presented monthly reports to their peers.
“The idea is that by the time a child turns 18, they will have cast a minimum of 36 votes in our centers,” Chandan explained. “When they reach a real polling booth for the first time, it won’t be their first experience.”
For him, democratic participation was not just about understanding elections but also accountability, leadership, and collective decision-making.
Working With Government Schools
Over the years, Pratigya expanded from community centres into government school systems. The organisation now works on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in schools in Jharkhand’s Khunti district and participates in programmes linked with the Jharkhand Education Project Council.
One of its key interventions has been around “Bal Sansad” or Child Parliaments in schools, where the focus is on socio-emotional learning and life skills.
Pratigya also undertook policy-level work. In 2013, the organisation researched the implementation of the Right to Education Act’s 25 percent reservation provision. According to Chandan, their advocacy contributed to the Jharkhand government creating and digitising implementation guidelines that are now used across districts.
The organisation later conducted research on violence within educational spaces and how unsafe school environments contribute to student dropouts. Their findings were presented to education authorities, following which consultations began on drafting a child protection policy for schools.
Understanding Invisible Exclusion
A significant part of Chandan’s work has involved understanding gaps in support systems for children with disabilities, especially autism.
While researching social support mechanisms for children with autism during his time as a National Child Rights Fellow with CRY, he interacted with families from both urban and rural backgrounds. What stood out to him was the silence surrounding intellectual disabilities.
“Society is heavily surrounded by taboos,” he said, describing how even educated parents often struggle to openly discuss autism because of shame and fear of judgment.
He also pointed to the lack of reliable government data on children with disabilities in Jharkhand. Physical disabilities may be visible, he noted, but many conditions remain unidentified unless there is direct engagement with the child and family.
Without accurate data, he believes it becomes difficult to create policies, allocate resources, or build awareness.
The Reality of First-Generation Learners
Another challenge that Pratigya continues to encounter is the experience of first-generation school-going families.
For many parents in Jharkhand, schools remain unfamiliar institutions. They have never experienced formal education themselves and therefore often feel unable to question teachers or school authorities.
“These parents do not feel empowered,” Chandan observed.
He recalled an incident from 2023 involving a Class 3 student who received a participation certificate in a competition. Unlike urban children who may immediately recognise such achievements as valuable, the child simply asked, “What do I do with this?”
For Chandan, the moment reflected a larger gap in awareness and exposure, not only among children but also among parents and teachers.
Building Local Leadership
Pratigya’s work today includes a youth fellowship programme that trains local graduates to teach and engage with nearby schools over a two-year period. The organisation also works closely with mothers on issues such as hygiene and gender discrimination to help girls continue their education.
Chandan himself has continued to study alongside building the organisation. After starting Pratigya in 2007, he pursued a Foundation in Education course at Digantar in Jaipur, later completed a Master’s in Education from Azim Premji University, and went on to study development leadership. He was also part of the Acumen India Fellowship.
“I constantly update myself so I can contribute more effectively to the children of Jharkhand,” he said.
Despite opportunities to scale further, Pratigya intends to remain focused on Jharkhand. Rather than expanding rapidly, the organisation wants to work deeply with 300 to 400 schools to create long-term change within communities it understands closely.
For Chandan, education has always required patience.
“Unlike building a handpump, quality education takes 10 to 15 years to show a visible change,” he said.
That patience continues to shape the work of Pratigya today, from temple steps in Ranchi to classrooms across Jharkhand.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At The Logical Indian, we believe that meaningful educational change is not measured only by enrollment numbers or infrastructure, but by whether children are able to stay, learn, participate, and thrive. Chandan Singh’s journey with Pratigya reflects this deeper understanding of education. From running learning centres on temple steps to working with government schools, youth fellows, mothers, and communities, his work has focused on challenges that are often less visible but equally important. Whether it is helping first-generation learners find their voice, creating democratic spaces for children, or advocating for safer and more inclusive schools, his approach reminds us that lasting change requires patience, trust, and sustained engagement.
In a world that often seeks quick results, Pratigya’s story raises an important question: What might our education system look like if every child, regardless of their background, had the support, confidence, and opportunity not just to attend school, but to shape their own future?
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