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Education is often measured through examination results, literacy, numeracy and progression to higher classes. Yet schooling is also about developing a child’s confidence, emotional stability, empathy, relationships and ability to deal with adversity. In this context, Uttarakhand’s Anandam Pathyacharya, introduced by the state government in 2019, represents an interesting attempt to place social-emotional learning within the regular government-school system. This initiative recently received international attention when Dr Bhagwati Prasad Maindoli, Staff Officer in Samagra Shiksha, School Education, Uttarakhand, presented the state’s experience of Anandam Pathyacharya at the Social Outcomes Conference 2026 at the University of Oxford in a session titled “The Power of Ecosystem Orchestration for Social Change at Scale”, under the broader theme of transforming education through a policy-lab approach on 3–4 September 2026.
What is Anandam Pathyacharya?
Anandam is essentially a happiness and social-emotional learning curriculum for children. Rather than treating education as the accumulation of textbook knowledge alone, it seeks to help children understand themselves and others. The programme includes activities involving: mindfulness and quiet reflection; stories and storytelling; dialogue and discussion; games and experiential activities; expression of emotions; empathy and relationship-building; appreciation and gratitude and understanding one’s relationship with family, society and nature. The first 30–35 minutes of the school day are devoted to social-emotional development under Anandam. This is significant in a state such as Uttarakhand, where many children in hill areas face long journeys to school, geographical isolation and differing socio-economic circumstances. A curriculum that begins the school day by allowing children to settle emotionally and interact with teachers may have educational importance beyond what conventional examination statistics capture.
Outreach and impact of Anandam
A 2023–24 report of Dream a Dream, which has worked with the Uttarakhand education system, records 15,979 schools implementing Anandam Pathyacharya and 30,927 teachers trained, while 592,097 students in Classes one to class eight were reported within the programme’s reach. Anandam has become a sizeable component of Uttarakhand’s government-school educational framework. The most interesting evidence concerns behavioural and relational changes, rather than marks alone. The research literature and implementation reports describe improvements in areas such as: teacher-student interaction; children’s ability to express feelings; empathy; communication; confidence; resilience; relationship-building; willingness to share problems with teachers and creating a more positive classroom environment. The academic study on social-emotional learning in India reports observations from Uttarakhand of stronger teacher-student connections and greater openness among students. It also records reports of renewed enthusiasm and interaction in government schools. An especially relevant observation concerns children in remote hill areas. Teachers reported that some children walk considerable distances to school or face difficult circumstances at home. Beginning the school day with Anandam activities is intended to help them settle and concentrate before proceeding to academic learning.
The crucial question: Has Anandam increased student strength?
If the success of Anandam is measured by student well-being and school experience, the evidence is encouraging. If success is measured by the number of children enrolled in government schools, however, the available statistics require a more cautious interpretation. UDISE data show that government-school enrolment in Uttarakhand was approximately 9.68 lakh in 2018–19. By 2023–24 it was approximately 8.70 lakh. That represents a decline of roughly 10% over the period. Therefore, it would be incorrect to claim that Anandam has already produced a measurable statewide increase in government-school enrolment. Demographic changes, migration, school closures/mergers, parental preferences, growth of private schooling and changes in the school-age population are the major causes of dwindling students’ strength. A Ministry of Education review reported that in Uttarakhand government schools accounted for about 37% of total enrolment in 2023–24, compared with about 39% in 2018–19, while unaided-school enrolment increased over much of the period. A parent does not select a school merely because children are happy there. Parents generally consider several factors: Academic performance + English/language skills + discipline + infrastructure + teacher availability + technology + transport + safety + extracurricular opportunities + peer environment + future opportunities. Anandam addresses an important part of this equation—the emotional and social environment—but it cannot by itself solve all the structural problems facing government schools. Besides Anandam, a government schools should ensure availability of teachers; improved infrastructure; better transport facility and improved learning outcomes.
Uttarakhand’s special challenge: the emptying village
Migration from hill villages has changed the demographic foundation upon which government schools operate. In some villages, declining child population itself can produce falling enrolment regardless of the quality of teaching. Consequently, a reduction in student strength should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of poor schooling. Conversely, an increase in enrolment should not automatically be attributed to Anandam. A child who is anxious, isolated or afraid to communicate may find it difficult to participate actively in class. Conversely, confidence, curiosity, emotional regulation and a positive relationship with teachers can create conditions conducive to learning.
Conclusion
Anandam Pathyacharya is an interesting experiment in rethinking the purpose of schooling. Its emphasis on mindfulness, empathy, emotional expression, relationships and happiness gives Uttarakhand’s government schools a dimension that conventional academic curricula often overlook. The larger opportunity is to combine Anandam with better teaching, stronger learning outcomes, infrastructure, teacher availability, technology, career guidance and measures to address migration. If this combination succeeds, Uttarakhand could offer something more valuable than merely a “Happiness Curriculum”: a model of government schooling in which children want to come to school, parents want to send them there, teachers want to teach there, and learning remains at the centre of the experience. That would be the real measure of Anandam.
Dr Prashant Thapliyal
Associate Professor
Army Cadet College
Indian Military Academy Dehradun
