options, which can lead to academic success gaps. A UNESCO study in 2011, stated —“Research confirms that children learn best in their mother tongue as a prelude to and complement of bilingual and multilingual education. Studies show that six to eight years of education in a language are necessary to develop the level of literacy and verbal proficiency required for academic achievement in secondary school.”4 A progressive society, anywhere on earth, is frequently viewed as having a solid foundation in education, which equips people with the information and abilities they need to live fulfilling lives and make a positive impact on their communities. In today's quickly expanding digital world, the traditional classroom paradigm of education across the world is confronted with challenges relating to access, inclusion and quality, digital gap, and language inaccessibility that need to be overcome. These concerns can have an enormous impact on the growth of the individual and, eventually, on the future of the planet. While we will discuss these challenges in more detail hereon, however, it is pertinent to point out that extensive efforts have been undertaken by the Central and state governments to bridge gaps in education. 2. ACCESS TO EQUITABLE, INCLUSIVE, AND QUALITY EDUCATION While India boasts a rich history of educational excellence and is home to some of the world's top institutions, it also grapples with a few access-related challenges, which are multifaceted, encompassing regional, gender, economic, and social dimensions. The National Family Health Survey, Human Development Index, Human Capital Index, and the National Achievement Survey point out to some of these areas and have been briefly touched upon here, in this context. National Family Health Surveys (NFHS): As per NFHS, some of these gaps have been reducing, but they continue to be a matter of concern. The last NFHS was conducted in 2019-21.5 Data sub-set on the population of children aged 6 to 17 years, who were enrolled in schools, shows that the percentage of this age group, who attended school in 2019–20, is higher in urban areas than in rural areas. However, when it comes to attendance at school, there was not much difference between the number of males and number of females attending schools. Further, the data also revealed that the proportion of girls, children living in rural areas, those belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), children aged 11-13 years, and children from the poorest families not attending school are areas of concern. Human Development Index (HDI) and Human Capital Index (HCI): A child's right to an education now legally includes access to a school for every 6-14 years old. Additionally, India has been working towards meeting the Sustainable Development Ball, Jessica. 2011, “Enhancing learning of children from diverse language backgrounds: Mother tongue-based bilingual or multilingual education in the early years,” UNESCO. 5 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019-21, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, https://main.mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/NFHS-5_Phase-II_0.pdf 4 Journal of the National Human Rights Commission, Vol. 22, 2023 41