A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF MULTIGRADE TEACHING PRACTICES AND POLICY RESPONSES IN SOUTH ASIA

Abstract

Multigrade classrooms are widespread in rural areas of South Asian countries and are commonly employed where teacher shortages or low student enrollment necessitate this arrangement. Despite their prevalence, evidence related to multigrade pedagogy - particularly place-based pedagogy - remains fragmented across a range of policy documents, donor project reports and academic studies. Following PRISMA 2020, the systematic review synthesizes existing evidence from 88 studies in the 2000–2025 bracket, including peer-reviewed articles, dissertations, and reports from international organizations. The review highlights existing practices related to multigrade curriculum development and teaching practices, teacher professional development and policy responses in South Asian countries. Recurrent challenges including lack of policy implementation, curriculum misalignment, teacher preparedness, weak assessment frameworks, resource constraints and teacher workload have been identified. Simultaneously, the review synthesizes evidence related to student adaptability and community-based practices that have proved successful in the multigrade sphere. The review concludes that multigrade education can play a transformative role in achieving SDG 4, by providing equitable access to quality education, provided that a significant investment is made in curriculum adaptation, teacher training and systemic support via policy implementation. Furthermore, with the advancements in the field of technology, low-tech-first supports can be effectively utilized to reduce teacher workload and provide improved accessibility.