India has the world’s largest youth population, with about 65% under the age of 35. To create opportunities for young people, the government, private sector, and civil society have invested heavily in education. However, challenges such as COVID-19 led to widespread school closures and a decline in enrollment. The evaluation was conducted in Telangana, a state in south-central India with a diverse education system. Government schools form the backbone of this system, and recent investments have focused on improving infrastructure and promoting holistic school development.

UPSHIFT is part of UNICEF’s Global Youth Innovation Portfolio and powered by the interactive platform UNISOLVE. This program, which operates under the UNICEF Global Youth Innovation Portfolio, provides adolescents with essential life skills, such as empathy, critical thinking, problem-solving, cooperation, decision-making, resilience, entrepreneurial spirit, and growth mindset. First piloted through the School Innovation Challenge in Telangana in 2019–2020, the program has since expanded to other Indian states, Bhutan, and the Maldives.
What methods will be employed?

C4ED was commissioned by UNICEF’s Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA) to conduct a process evaluation of the fourth cycle of UPSHIFT in Telangana during the 2022–2023 academic year. The evaluation aimed to strengthen UNICEF’s knowledge and technical capacity by providing an independent assessment of UPSHIFT, delivered through the government-led School Innovation Challenge in Telangana. It examined the program’s relevance, effectiveness, coherence, and sustainability in improving adolescent learning outcomes, while identifying key challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations for scaling in India and across South Asia. This was done, using an embedded mixed-methods design, combining qualitative interviews and focus groups with quantitative survey data. C4ED examined how students, teachers, principals, and policymakers experienced the initiative.