India, March 4 -- For India to turn its demographic promise into an economic reality and thrive in an AI world, the Viksit Bharat dream must be rooted in what happens inside classrooms. Yet national assessments show a persistent learning crisis: barely 45% of Grade-5 children can read at a Grade-2 level and only about 31% can perform simple division. These sobering numbers show that a systemic rethink is needed; more of the same won't do.The solution can start from a simple premise: teachers should spend their time and energy on teaching, and the entire ecosystem should enable that. Pairing this philosophy with rigorous, frequent outcome measurement - which in turn informs immediate classroom action - can help teachers teach the right compe...