India, June 26 -- India has made remarkable strides in expanding access to education. Enrollment figures have climbed steadily, school infrastructure has reached previously underserved geographies, and programmes such as the mid-day meal scheme have addressed some of the basic barriers that once kept children out of classrooms. These are genuine achievements, and they reflect decades of sustained commitment from governments, funders, and civil society organisations alike.

Yet as the sector matures, there is an opportunity to ask more ambitious questions. Beyond access, what are we actually building toward?

The challenge is that scale is often understood through breadth - the number of children reached, schools supported, or communities ...