The government of India and the State government of Nagaland have signed a $68 mn project with World Bank to improve the teaching quality, governance, and environment in select schools of Nagaland.
The agreement was signed in New Delhi on 22 February 2021. On improving education in Nagaland, World Bank Enhancing Classroom Teaching and Resources Project papers set out two aims: to strengthen the governance of schools across the state, and to improve teaching practices and learning environments in selected school complexes.
The project named, “Nagaland: Enhancing Classroom Teaching and Resources Project” is expected to “improve classroom instruction, build technology systems to provide students and teachers with more access to blended and online learning as well as allow better monitoring of policies and programs and create opportunities for the professional development of teachers,” A finance ministry statement said.
The reforms will benefit 150,000 students and 20,000 teachers in the government schools of Nagaland. This project will also help to mitigate the challenges that have been posed by covid-19 and will complement conventional delivery models as well.
World Bank Country Director in India, Junaid Ahmad said, “that even as the number of children attending school in India has increased over the last few years, there is a growing need to significantly improve learning outcomes to meet the demands of the labor market and fuel future growth. This project is designed to support the Government of Nagaland’s ongoing efforts to improve and develop a more resilient education system in the state.”
Improving education in Nagaland: World Bank Enhancing Classroom Teaching and Resources Project terms
The money is a loan, not a grant. The $68 million comes from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank’s lending arm, with a final maturity of 14.5 years including a five-year grace period, the World Bank said in its announcement. C S Mohapatra, Additional Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, signed for the Government of India; Shanavas C, Principal Director of the Directorate of School Education, for Nagaland; and Junaid Ahmad for the bank. The bank’s board had approved the project on 15 December 2020, according to its project record.
The physical centrepiece is a set of school complexes. About 15 of Nagaland’s 44 higher secondary schools are to be developed into complexes that put the planned learning environment into practice during the project period, the bank said. “The education project in Nagaland will address the critical gaps faced by students and teachers and play an important role in the development of the state,” Mohapatra said. Kumar Vivek, the bank’s task team leader, said the aim was schools that are supportive of technology-enabled teaching and “resilient to future shocks”.
The work is split into three components. The first, on system and school management, covers the education management information system, digital platforms for learning and teaching, governance and capacity building, and the state’s school leaving certificate examinations. The second covers the built environment of the school complexes, teaching and learning systems, continuous professional development of teachers, and community ownership of schools. The third is technical assistance, including Covid-19 coping support and a contingent emergency response component.
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Lender | International Bank for Reconstruction and Development |
| Amount | $68 million |
| Maturity | 14.5 years, including a 5-year grace period |
| Board approval | 15 December 2020 |
| Signing | 22 February 2021 |
| Implementing agency | Department of School Education, Nagaland |
| Beneficiaries | About 150,000 students and 20,000 teachers |
| School complexes | About 15 of 44 higher secondary schools |
This project has come at a very crucial time as Nagaland faces many issues when it comes to its education sectors such as weak school infrastructure, meager opportunities for professional growth of teachers, and limited capacity on the part of communities to partner effectively with the school system. The covid-19 pandemic had further revealed these fault lines but the project will improve the conditions in the foreseeable future.
What has happened since
The loan became effective on 7 April 2021 and had its mid-term review on 27 November 2023, according to the bank’s implementation status report of 25 February 2025. On improving education in Nagaland, World Bank Enhancing Classroom Teaching and Resources Project reports since then track progress component by component. By that February 2025 report, $20.67 million of the $68 million had been disbursed, 30.39 per cent of the loan, and both progress towards the objective and overall implementation were rated moderately satisfactory.
The same report records several concrete steps. Performance incentive grants had reached 1,913 schools. An app to track teacher attendance went statewide on 1 February 2025 after a pilot, with some initial problems being addressed. Fifteen contracts for the school complexes were signed before 20 December 2024, and a sixteenth, re-tendered, was signed in January 2025. In the selected school complexes, the Grade 10 completion rate rose from a baseline of 34 per cent in 2021-22 to 44 per cent in the third project year.
Training had reached 17.4 per cent of identified teachers and 42.2 per cent of school leaders. On examinations, an external review of the state’s Class 10 and Class 12 leaving certificate papers had been completed, and a hired technical agency was carrying out the second phase of the reform plan. The bank rated the overall risk moderate, down from substantial at approval, though it still rated fiduciary risk substantial.
Other parts moved more slowly. Two attempts to hire an agency for the school improvement package failed, and the project unit decided to design the strategy itself with up to four experts, the report says. Midline data on the headline indicators were due by 15 May 2025.
Whether that adds up to improving education in Nagaland, World Bank Enhancing Classroom Teaching and Resources Project evaluators will judge against three targets for March 2026: at least a 10 per cent improvement on a school governance index that started at 44.83 per cent, on a teaching score that started at 2.5, and on a learning environment score that started at 51.14 per cent. The loan’s closing date was 30 June 2026; when this story was updated in October 2026, the bank’s project database still listed the project as active.
