Social-emotional learning: The key to foundational literacy and numeracy

Foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) has become a central policy priority in India. The reasons for this emphasis are clear. Early proficiency in reading and numeracy is consistently associated with later educational attainment, labour market outcomes, and civic participation. At the same time, evidence from classroom observation research and international scholarship on social and emotional learning (SEL) indicates that treating FLN as a purely technical challenge overlooks a crucial dimension. Learning does not occur in isolation from context. It unfolds within specific institutional, social, and emotional environments that shape how children experience school. In practice, this means that foundational learning is shaped by everyday classroom realities. A student who has repeatedly been corrected without explanation may stop attempting difficult reading tasks. In a multi-grade classroom, where the teacher must divide attention between groups, some children may remain unengaged fo