A Focus on Foundational Learning
The Madhi Foundation has built its mission around a simple idea. Strong foundational learning in early grades determines a child’s long-term educational success.
The Chennai-based nonprofit works with government school systems to improve reading, writing, numeracy, and social-emotional learning in primary classrooms. It also engages parents as partners in the education process.
The organization focuses on strengthening existing public systems rather than building parallel programs.
The Founder’s Path to Social Entrepreneurship
Merlia Shaukath grew up in Chennai in a family where entrepreneurship and social responsibility were closely linked.
Her grandfather worked as a social reformer and helped establish educational institutions for minority communities. Her parents built their careers as entrepreneurs.
After studying at the London School of Economics and the University of Oxford, Shaukath returned to India with a clear goal. She wanted to address large-scale social challenges through system-level solutions.
Her early career began at Teach For India, where she joined as the organization’s first staff member. She worked across multiple functions and gained firsthand exposure to classroom realities.
Later, she worked with a consulting firm that partnered with the Tamil Nadu government. The experience gave her a deeper understanding of how policy decisions affect implementation in public systems.
Launching the Madhi Foundation
Shaukath founded the Madhi Foundation in 2016 to operate at the intersection of policy design and on-the-ground implementation.
The organization focuses exclusively on primary education. Its programs aim to strengthen foundational learning by improving curriculum design, teacher training, coaching systems, and administrative processes.
Madhi works closely with government institutions while also building partnerships with parents and local communities.
Scaling Through State Collaboration
The organization initially piloted programs in a small number of schools in Chennai.
As Madhi expanded across Tamil Nadu, the team discovered that rural and semi-urban schools faced different challenges than urban classrooms. This insight led the organization to adopt a long-term strategy focused on strengthening education systems gradually.
A breakthrough came when Madhi became the chief management partner for Tamil Nadu’s Ennum Ezhthum Mission.
The initiative aims to improve foundational learning across the state’s primary schools. It now covers 37,000 schools, more than two lakh students, and tens of thousands of teachers and administrators.
Early Results Show Improvement
Education outcomes have begun to improve since the program’s launch.
Tamil Nadu has moved out of the bottom ten states in the National Achievement Survey rankings for the first time in nearly a decade. Data from the Annual Status of Education Report also shows that the state has recovered from pandemic-related learning losses.
Internal assessments indicate improvements of 7 to 15 percentage points in key learning outcomes such as reading, writing, and numeracy.
Operational indicators have improved as well. Teacher coaching visits now reach 86 percent of schools, compared with just 1 percent earlier. Textbook distribution has also improved, with 99 percent of schools receiving books on the first day of the academic year.
Teachers and Classrooms Are Changing
The program has also influenced classroom culture.
Teachers report greater confidence in activity-based and play-based teaching methods. Students participate more actively in lessons rather than relying solely on rote learning.
One teacher who had planned to retire early withdrew her resignation after attending a Madhi training program. She continued teaching for three more years and later described that period as the most rewarding phase of her career.
Expansion Beyond Tamil Nadu
Madhi worked primarily in Tamil Nadu for nearly eight years while testing its model.
The organization has now expanded to Meghalaya and Nagaland and plans to collaborate with additional states in the future.
It aims to share operational frameworks that help governments strengthen education systems. These frameworks include governance models, data systems, and teacher support mechanisms.
Madhi is also developing digital tools using artificial intelligence to support education programs.
A Long-Term Vision for Public Education
The organization began its journey with just three schools.
Today, Madhi collaborates with more than 38,000 schools. Its broader vision focuses on building effective and efficient public education systems that place children at the center of every decision.
For Shaukath, the goal is clear. A government school system that consistently delivers strong foundational learning for every child in India.
Source: Yourstory
