Support young leaders driving change in Punjab's Government schools

In Punjab's government schools, half of Std VIII students still can't perform basic division. Teachers know what to do, panchayats know what's needed, officials know the targets. What's missing is someone who can bring them all into one room and turn that shared knowledge into shared action.

The Punjab Youth Leaders Program places young, credible, local leaders inside government schools for two full years. Each young leader is placed in a cluster of 8–10 government schools and the villages around them. They build trust with teachers, activate School Management Committees, and turn the Panchayati Raj Act's on-paper powers into real, working local governance.

Every year PYLP onboards from over 2,500 applications into a small, deliberately diverse cohort. Selected for leadership potential, not pedigree. They go through a 21-day induction before being deployed to the field, then spend two years being built deliberately: workshops in systems thinking, storytelling and behaviour change, with mentoring from business leaders, academics and senior bureaucrats.

PYLP has run since 2019 and is now in its 7th cohort. 100+ Young leaders have been trained across six completed cohorts; 45 are currently placed across four districts. Every graduating cohort has a 100% placement record, and 75% of alumni continue working in education non-profits across Punjab. A living proof that a career spent rebuilding Punjab's public schools is a real career, not a sacrifice.