Masoom Education

Masoom is an NGO founded by Nikita Ketkar in 2008. It aims to fulfill the educational dreams of self-motivated working students who have fallen off the formal education system due to family or financial constraints.

In 2006, Nikita initiated a research project on the night schools in Mumbai, sponsored by Partners for Urban Knowledge Action and Research (PUKAR). Her report, titled "To Understand Educational Needs of Night School Students and Developing Methods to Overcome Them," was released in 2007. The report highlighted the challenges faced by night schools, which were neither meeting the educational needs of students nor enabling them to reach their full potential. The findings indicated the need for improved resources and infrastructure, such as notebooks, textbooks, science lab materials, a library, evening nutrition, counseling services, and career guidance. As a result of the research, it became clear that action was necessary to improve the night school system. This led to the conception of Masoom and its flagship Night School Transformation Program.

Masoom was registered as a Charitable Trust on January 14, 2008. It is presently working in 100 night schools in Mumbai, Pune, and other districts of Maharashtra, focusing on night schools and supporting educational infrastructure. Masoom has since added three verticals. These are the Evening Learning Centers, the Tech on Wheels buses, and the Career Cell. The Evening Learning Centers enable out-of-school individuals to pursue academic aspirations, Tech on Wheels buses impart a Science and Technology curriculum, and the Career Cell provides career counseling, guidance, vocational skills training, and placements to students.