Reinforcing the Three Rs: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic

The ability to read and write with comprehension and possess basic numeracy skills are foundational for an individual’s ability to learn, earn a living and lead a healthy life. It is also the building block for advancing India’s Human Development Index. Yet, as estimated by Unesco, at 81.7%, India’s literacy rate remains below the global average of 87.74% with only a few states achieving full literacy.

As a Force for Good, Aditya Birla Group is determined to rewrite this script by enhancing access to quality education and raising literacy levels. Group companies are engaged in diverse educational endeavours that span the spectrum from early childhood development to girl child and adult literacy, and even digital literacy. These initiatives are guided by the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development, which is chaired by Mrs. Rajashree Birla.  
 

Well Begun Is Well Done

The first five years of childhood are crucial for the development of the brain and lays the foundation for lifelong learning. Malnutrition and lack of access to educational material can negatively impact development at this stage. Hence, Group companies support India’s anganwadis and balwadis, which play an important role by providing pre-school education, nutritional support and health services to young children and their mothers.

For instance, Hindalco has supported 650 anganwadis and balwadis in FY26 alone, thus benefitting ~8,000 children and rehabilitating 2,589 malnourished children. The company has set 2030 as its target year for achieving the SDG 4.2 goal of ensuring access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education to all children in its operational areas.

UltraTech Cement and Aditya Birla Capital too have worked to strengthen anganwadi infrastructure and improve access to early childhood care. UltraTech transformed 110 of the 698 anganwadis it supports into model centres, while Aditya Birla Capital renovated 228 anganwadis in Bihar, benefitting 9,221 children.  
 

Upgrading School Infrastructure

The Indian education system faces several challenges, such as poor access to educational institutions, low learning outcomes and high drop-out rates. Functional literacy remains elusive for many children even after several years in school.

Here’s what Group companies have achieved in FY26 alone by improving infrastructure in government schools and creating equitable education opportunities for underprivileged children:

• UltraTech Cement’s community transformation goal includes 100% enrolment and zero dropout rates in schools in its operational areas. The company reached over 167,000 children in educational institutions in FY26, including 11,288 rural children through 37 Aditya Birla Public Schools.
• Grasim’s educational initiatives included enrolling 5,980 students in 84 schools in FY26. Besides, ~52,000 students benefitted from its capacity-building sessions.
• Hindalco upgraded 17 schools, benefitting 12,478 students.
• Aditya Birla Capital established solar-powered smart classrooms, libraries, drinking water facilities and sanitation infrastructure in 160 schools in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Its efforts improved attendance and engagement for over 79,000 students.
• ABFRL’s School Transformation Project in partnership with the Panvel Municipal Corporation has transformed the learning environment in 11 primary schools since 2017.

Empowering women through literacy

The improving trendline in India’s overall literacy rates disguises the gap in female and adult literacy. Illiteracy constricts opportunities and reinforce social and economic inequalities for women and marginalised communities. To overcome this, education of girls has been a priority for Group companies. A few years ago, the Group achieved a Zero Drop Out score for girls in supported schools. In FY26, here’s what progress looks like.

• Girls accounted for an overwhelming 66% of the 165,000 beneficiaries of Aditya Birla Capital’s educational interventions.
• ABFRL’s Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Jan Kalyan Trust has supported over 138,000 girls in three states through its Girl Child Education Programme since its inception. This includes enhancing access to quality education for underprivileged girls in rural Karnataka and Tamil Nadu through the Gyanarjan project and Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV).
• Grasim partnered non-profit Kashyap Divya Jyoti in two villages of Uttar Pradesh to enrol 50 women in literacy learning centres. The initiative has not only raised their self-confidence, but is helping them to access healthcare information and government schemes more easily, and participate more actively in family and community decision-making.

Digital Literacy for a Connected World

Beyond basic literacy and numeracy, digital literacy has become crucial to navigate today’s information-rich and connected world. It is also essential for marginalised communities to access government schemes and direct benefits transfers in countries like India.

Grasim’s Project Disha enabled 10,120 students to access digital learning through smart classrooms and exposure to artificial intelligence tools in FY26. UltraTech provided digital literacy training to 1,209 rural students through 9 computer education centres. Other Group companies are also increasingly working to redress the gap in digital literacy.

As a Force for Good and trusted partner in India’s socio-economic progress, Aditya Birla Group remains committed to promoting literacy and improving learning outcomes to foster inclusive growth.