With the many roles he played in India’s space missions, including the success of Mangalyaan, K Kasturirangan will be remembered as the man who took India closer to the stars. What is less well known is that his quiet brilliance also shone in another direction. His most enduring legacy may lie not in the cosmos but in the classrooms of India, where his work through the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 continues to shape the lives of millions.

As chairperson of the NEP drafting committee, Kasturirangan recognised that the key to India’s growth lay in empowering its youngest minds with the foundational skills necessary for a prosperous nation. NEP laid the groundwork for a future where foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) are not aspirational but guaranteed for every child.

The impact of his work, particularly through initiatives like the National Initiative for Proficiency with Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN) Mission, is already being felt across India. He may have laid the foundation for a developed India built on the knowledge and capabilities of those who are children now.

Kasturirangan’s deep commitment to education was apparent long before his role as the........

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