Literacy and Regional Languages - Pratham Books is Building Libraries

Have been enjoying some delightful discussions with Maya at the non-profit, Pratham Books. Their mission is A Book in Every Child’s Hand.

Here is an example of one of their charming and educational books:

They specialise in books that:

- Are woven from the Indian fabric, rooted in the Indian origin
- Speak the child’s language
- Are beautifully illustrated, written for the child, and produced in a way he would love to keep reading
- Cost from Rs. 10 – Rs.25.

There are about 300 million children ages 0-14 and 22 constitutionally recognized languages, yet books are published in only 2 major languages (Hindi and English).

The following is from their site: blog.prathambooks.org

The Read India Movement started as a result of widespread research that showed that a large number of children in India, who are in school, cannot read. Estimates are that 1 out of 2 children in government primary schools across the country cannot read fluently and children who are unable to read are unable to learn, due to lack of comprehension.

In 2003, Pratham, a national initiative that seeks to ensure universal primary education, tested a large scale method that uses a child centric approach to teaching children how to read. This 45-day programme uses illustrated story cards and phonetic “Barakhadi” charts to teach children how to decode sounds and recognize words and letters. The method integrated a joyful approach to learning where children are encouraged to read and participate in activities based on each story card. This programme has been conducted across India with amazing results.

Once children learn how to read it is crucial to sustain their interest by cultivating a reading habit. Pratham responded by setting up libraries for children that would provide them the opportunity to read meaningful children’s books in regional languages. Our aim was to provide a book in every child’s hand and a library in every neighbourhood. Pratham now has around 4000 libraries across the country.

This video explains their purpose and shows something unusual. Just as we have Open Architecture, Pratham has open publishing – people are encouraged to print the books Pratham provides online, and sell them for a modest price.