dr sunita Gandhi

Dr. Gandhi is a leading education researcher, author and activist. Across her many organizations and schools, she is working towards quality education for all.

Her Unique Story

Dr Sunita Gandhi, an Indian educator, researcher, and author, is CEO of Dignity Education Vision International (DEVI Sansthan), and Chief Academic Advisor to the largest school in the world (City Montessori School). A Physics PhD from Cambridge University, Dr. Gandhi served as a Young Professional and Economist at the World Bank. She is the author of Disruptive Literacy: A Roadmap for Urgent Global Action (Bloomsbury, 2022) and Accelerating Learning for All: A Groundbreaking Pedagogy to Transform Education (Bloomsbury, 2024). Her recognitions include India's Educationist of the Year 2014, Visionary of Uttar Pradesh 2017, and Shining World Caring Award 2020, Taiwan. A lifelong educationist, she has visited 50 countries, studying the education systems of many. She founded her first school at the age of 14, for underprivileged children. Dr. Gandhi’s integrity, determination and grit makes her an extraordinary educator.

With years of research in Indian slums and schools, Dr. Gandhi developed Accelerating Learning for All (ALfA), a groundbreaking, fast, and holistic educational pedagogy, replicated in 33 languages. Since its launch in 2022, ALfA has witnessed exponential growth in India and other countries, with pilots underway in twelve countries along with state-wide adoption by Himachal Pradesh. A chapter in a recent book edited by Prof. Fernando Reimers of Harvard Graduate School of Education documents ALfA’s highly significant results after just 40 days of implementation.

If 45 days could make the world literate, would you not do it?
- sunita Gandhi

Dr. Gandhi speaks on

How to teach literacy in 3 months not 3 years
Education policy in India and around the world
How to launch a mass movement for literacy
Reimagining exams to foster cooperation instead of competition
Bringing education from the 19th century to the 21st

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Teaching someone to read is the greatest act of service, it is an act of worship.
- sunita Gandhi

Accelerating Learning for All

indian languages

Assamese

Bengali

Gujarati

Hindi

Kannada

Konkani*

Maithili

Marathi

Mizo

Odia

Punjabi

Tamil

Telugu

* in process

International languages

Arabic

Bangladeshi

Dhivehi*

Dutch

English

Filipino

French

Nepalese

Serbian

Shona

Twi

Urdu

Yoruba

Spanish

Swahili

Portuguese*

Persian*

Somalian*

Under the guidance of her parents, Dr Jagdish Gandhi and Dr Bharti Gandhi, who are the founders of the world’s largest school, CMS, Dr Sunita Gandhi’s childhood days offered her a great scope of learning. When she was growing up, her family’s finances were constrained, but she was always enthusiastic about her study. Her empathy, compassion and kindness towards the poor have always been strong; at the age of 14, she cracked the NTSE examination and started school for the underprivileged. Meeting Saint Mother Teresa around this time was a life-changing opportunity for her. The saint had blessed her, saying, “God loves Sunita. Love others as He loves you.”

At 16, her parents sent her to study in the UK on donations from friends and family. A few years later, she completed a doctorate in Physics from Cambridge University on generous academic scholarships. After one year as a scientist at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories, USA, she applied to the most unlikely position of an economist through the prestigious Young Professionals Program of the World Bank. Her selection meant she became a permanent member of the World Bank fraternity. She worked on education policy and development programs in many countries, including a participatory project for women in Morocco. This project was showcased at the UN Summit in Copenhagen and led to her receiving the World Bank's most outstanding contribution to development award.

After ten years at the World Bank, she was at the peak of her career when she decided to quit this highly prestigious job and go back to India to work on education reform, with a particular focus on the underprivileged.

Over the years, she has visited 50 countries on six different continents. She has studied their education systems and exchanged notes with educators and policymakers worldwide. She has been fortunate enough to share these ideas with educators worldwide, including at Finland's annual Educator's conference on invitation from the Finnish National Board of Education. Dr Gandhi leads the Disruptive Education Movement through initiatives like Ed Leadership Conferences, GETI Live talks, and Teachers’ Training Programs to transform India’s education system, as envisaged by the New Education Policy, 2020 and the NIPUN Bharat Initiatives.

Her efforts in education have spanned a vast range, from the bottom-up grassroots level in Indian slums and villages through her NGO to establishing her schools. She has established Iceland's first two charter schools, an experimental school in the Czech Republic, and 19 schools in India. She has spoken at several conferences on five continents, including recently in BETT Asia. Dr Gandhi was invited to Finland as the Keynote to the largest gathering of their educators by the Finnish National Board of Education.

Her research work in Iceland, the UK and India mainstream the principle of 'compete with yourself' versus 'compete with others', published in a 2017 book by Palgrave Macmillan, UK. Today, over 1000 schools in India and overseas have adopted her curriculum and assessments based on this principle. With this large-scale pilot, she is fine-tuning an education more suited to the needs of children living in the 21st century. The foundation of her education is constructed on Four Building Blocks of Education: Universal Values, Global Understanding, Excellence in All Things and Service to Humanity.

Dr. Gandhi’s latest project, Global Dream Accelerating Learning for All, aims at providing foundational literacy and numeracy to all. Dr. Gandhi’s remarkable literacy materials have been used in thousands of schools.

The ALfA program can teach how to read, write, and do basic arithmetic in just three months, rather than the three years required in conventional schooling and adult literacy programs. This is only possible through a groundbreaking pedagogy.

Upside-down literacy. Flipping the conventional ‘A for Apple’ approach on its head, ALfA uses ‘Apple: /A/’. Working from known pictures to unknown words, students take turns to ask each other three simple questions: “What is this picture?” “What is its first sound?” and “What word do these sounds make together?”
Paired Learning. Instead of a transaction of learning from teacher to taught, learning is co-constructed by the students themselves, working in pairs. The emphasis shifts from teaching to learning by discovery and by interaction with each other.
Innovative Curriculum. Instead of the normal text-heavy, teacher-centered materials, ALfA study materials consist of short, visual modules that flow scientifically and are designed for paired and independent learning.
Cooperative Assessments. The purpose of assessment is not to judge or label students, but rather to enable children to reflect, thereby becoming more self-aware. Instead of competing against other students, ALfA assessments measure students’ progress compared to their own baseline.
Magic Mathematics. ALfA uses a concrete-to-abstract approach to math. Children develop excellent number sense by representing numbers and solving questions using any locally available counters such as matchsticks (ones) and ice cream sticks (tens).

Reading is more than decoding words on a page. It is unlocking doors to education, employment and empowerment.
- sunita Gandhi

peru

In collaboration with Arca Beta NGO, we are piloting ALfA in a school in the remote Amazon. Results are impressive, and discussions are now underway with government for scaling up.

Trinidad & Tobago

We are partnering with El Dorado South Hindu School to pilot ALfA.

Guyana

DEVI Sansthan collaborated with Kupanda Sisters, to implement ALfA in a school of Guyana.

Kenya

We are working with Path Youth NGO, who used the ALfA materials to run a literacy and numeracy bootcamp for children from the slums of Mombassa.

India

We are partnering with the state governments of Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh to implement ALfA in over 1000 primary schools.

Malaysia

We are collaborating with Radiant Gems Preschool to start ALfA implementation in Malaysia.

Maldives

We are collaborating with the Ministry of Education and UNICEF to implement ALfA in all primary schools across the archipelago.

Philippines

Having partnered with Dawnbreakers Foundation to replicate the material in Filipino, they are now using it to teach literacy in a remote area of Mindoro.

Honduras

mali

ghana

Zimbawe

Nepal

Indonesia

Appreciation

Aïcha Bah Diallo

Founding Member, FAWE
Former Minister of Education, Guinea

Dr. Gandhi's ALfA pedagogy revolutionizes education, signaling a global shift. It surpasses traditional methods, promoting holistic learning. Learning happens in pairs, embedding critical 21st-century skills into the curriculum. This method incorporates climate awareness and enhances connectedness for greater social-emotional-mental well-being. It encourages collaboration through its learning materials and processes. Inclusivity is key, achieved through random pairing.

Dr. Dinesh Sharma

Member, Rajya Sabha
Ex Deputy Chief Minister Uttar Pradesh

All these years, as Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and now as member of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States), Upper House of the Parliament of India, I have been highly impressed with the innovation and quantum of work in education Dr. Gandhi has been doing. Her pedagogy of ALfA is revolutionary by being both an efficient way to make children educated in the foundational skills but also in values and life skills. It has grown substantially since its start.

Alok Ranjan

Ex. Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh

I first met Dr. Sunita Gandhi in 2014, during my tenure as Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh. She was determined to boost literacy throughout the state. Her initiative led to a significant survey that mobilized 4,000 teachers to assess 1.5 million people, broadening our efforts in adult literacy. As someone who has spearheaded a literacy campaign, I see her method as both effective and essential.

Inger-Mette Stenseth

Certified Trainer in Systems Thinking
Co-Founder, World Climate School

Having closely collaborated with Dr. Sunita Gandhi on various educational initiatives, I can personally vouch for her remarkable dedication, innovative mindset, and unwavering commitment to revolutionizing education globally. Dr. Gandhi's educational pedagogy, ALFA: Accelerating Learning for All, is truly transformative. It is inclusive, scientifically rigorous, and capable of scaling to reach learners of any age.

Joanne Telser-Frère

Director of Program Development, Literacy Chicago

I endorse Dr. Sunita Gandhi for her methods to revolutionize global education and unwavering commitment to challenge the status quo in education are remarkable. ALfA can be a groundbreaking pedagogy to improve the quality education globally, an education that is both fast and holistic. I have now been trained in India as a Global Literacy Trainer and have started to share this with other organizations in the United States.

Rickie Dhillon

Chief Business Official, Kepler Neighborhood School, Fresno, CA

Dr. Gandhi, I admire your enthusiasm and passion for educating children. I want you to know you are making a huge difference in children’s lives, and I am glad to see that at our school. I am forever grateful for the opportunity you gave Kepler. My daughter has accelerated in her test scores. Her reading ability is getting better each day, and in 4th grade, we have so many kids who couldn't write or read.

Mary McCool Berry

Read Keys Founder and Practitioner, USA
International Dyslexia & Reading Expert

Dr. Sunita Gandhi is BIG MAGIC! Her inner torch catalyzes legions of people to work toward the dream of literacy and numeracy for all humans on the planet.

Dr. Gandhi is expansive in her thoughts, plans, and worldview. She believes that our world will find equity to solve phenomena-based problems such as climate change if every human becomes literate and numerate.

Sigamoney Naicker

University of the Western Cape Professor South Africa

Dr Gandhi has impressed me with her vision for literacy in a world that does not recognize the system is not working. With so many children experiencing challenges with literacy, very few education leaders have asked questions about where the problem is located. Indeed the problem is systemic, and Dr Gandhi is providing this alternative bravely and boldly supported by empirical research. Dr Gandhi, as a result, is a visionary and is showing leadership that is required by millions of children.

Ugrasen Verma

Assistant teacher Composite Govt. School, Shrawasti, UP

"I came across the Global Dream Modules while searching for an effective and swift pedagogy on the internet. I downloaded and started teaching my students from them; to my surprise, they learned incredibly quickly. I later contacted Dr Sunita Gandhi, who encouraged me and made available a sufficient number of books and other supporting material, and she also assured me to continue my cooperation towards literacy as much as possible."

Instead of worrying, ‘How can I score a higher rank?’, ALfA learners wonder, ‘Where do I still have more to learn?’
- sunita Gandhi