Just as UPI transformed payment systems in India by connecting all stakeholders of the ecosystem, similarly, the NDEAR31 (National Digital Education Architecture) blueprint for education has been prepared to serve as a super-connector for all stakeholders and their needs—from teaching and learning to evaluation and monitoring of individual progress to administrative, governing, and monitoring functions, among others. The blueprint has been activated in all states and UTs and as a first step, student registry is to be completed soon in the country. Vidya Samiksha Kendra32 (VSK) aims at leveraging data and technology to aid a giant leap in retention, transition and learning outcomes, and it aims to cover the data of all schools, teachers and students. It has the capability to analyze this data meaningfully using big data analysis, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to enhance the overall monitoring of the education system and thereby improve learning outcomes. It helps to keep track of enrolled students, dropouts, information on mainstreamed and out-of-school children, etc. It also empowers educational administrators and teachers to take data-driven decisions and monitor the real-time status of progress of various project components/activities under the ambit of School Education. The Government of India is funding all states and UTs to set up VSKs on an urgent basis. The Information and Communication, Technology (ICT) component of the Samagra Shiksha scheme establishes ICT labs and Smart classrooms and Virtual labs in Classes VI to XII in those government schools, where the provision of Internet connectivity is extended to schools, as a part of the scheme. Tablets for Primary School teachers are also provided. 5.2.3 Initiatives for teacher training NEP 2020 encourages teacher autonomy and the reduction of administrative work so that educators can devote more of their time to teaching and learning. The National Initiative for School Heads' and Teachers' Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) is an integrated training programme that was launched by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, in August 2019 with the goal of promoting the holistic development of teachers. In all, 33 states/UTs and eight autonomous bodies under Ministries of Education, Tribal Affairs and Defense have rolled out three categories of NISHTHA. The first, NISHTHA for Elementary stage teachers is completed by approximately 40 lakh teachers; NISHTHA 2.0 for Secondary level teachers is completed by about 7.8 lakh teachers; and NISHTHA 3.0 on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy made available in 11 languages (Hindi, English, Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu, Kannada, Odia, Assamese, Marathi and Mizo) is completed by around 12 lakh teachers as of March 2023. Deep and professional training of such large number of teachers in such a short span of time is a first in our country. It is pertinent to point out that each of these training programmes has included mandatory components, such as inclusive education, integration of technology in 31 32 NDEAR, MoE, GoI,https://www.ndear.gov.in/. Vidya Samiksha Kendra, MoE, GoI,https://www.ndear.gov.in/vidya-samiksha-kendra.html. 58 Journal of the National Human Rights Commission, Vol. 22, 2023