This issue of Learning Curve examines everyday challenges in India’s public education system, including rising household costs and persistent underfunding of teachers that affect access and learning. It highlights practical responses from the field, such as community libraries in Karnataka, a decentralised demonstration-based teacher professional development initiative from Madhya Pradesh, and inquiry-based learning through Bal Shodh Melas from the Uttarakhand experience. It also engages with policy debates, clarifying misconceptions around competency-based assessment and offering practical alternatives to the ongoing school consolidation and merger debate.