Blogs

• 06Mar2012

  Changing lives through literacy in India and the UK

  Posted by Irene Picton

  In January 2012, Abigail Moss and Irene Picton from the National Literacy Trust led a delegation of UK-based literacy professionals in an exchange visit to see the work of Pratham, India’s largest non-governmental educational organisation. The trip reciprocated an earlier visit to the UK by Pratham as part of our joint involvement in the British Council’s Active Citizens programme, an initiative that promotes shared learning between organisations involved in social action around the world.

  The National Literacy Trust group, which included consultants, teachers, librarians and storytellers, flew to Delhi where a stimulating and memorable week of events had been planned by Pratham. The itinerary included a national conference marking the release of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER); visits to education projects in the slums of Delhi and semi-rural and rural villages in Uttar Pradesh; meeting with senior officials of the State of Delhi and in-depth discussions with Pratham staff.

   Children’s literacy levels causing concern

  The Annual Status of Education Report, facilitated by Pratham since 2005, assesses the reading and maths skills of over 600,000 children in villages across India. In 2011, the results showed a decline in reading achievement, with only 48% of children reaching the reading level expected of a seven year-old by the time they finish Primary school. This is of particular concern as the gross enrolment rate drops considerably at Secondary level. India’s recent first foray into PISA (measuring reading achievement in 15 year-olds) found that the reading performance of many of the young people tested was too low to fall within the existing grading system, resulting in a last-but-one ranking on the international table.

  How Pratham is making a difference

  As the week progressed, we were privileged to be able to see Pratham’s innovative approaches to this daunting problem first-hand. The organisation was founded, among other things, on a principle taken from the philosophy of Lao Tzu: “Go to the people, love them, learn from them, start with what they know, build on what they have done, and when it is done they will say we did it ourselves.” This was clearly evident in two particularly memorable visits to a pre-school group and an IT project.

  We could hear the enthusiastic choir of a dozen or so tiny children in the Balwadi (pre-school) group before we found them, crowded into a cramped but brightly decorated front room. After enjoying highlights from an extensive musical repertoire, we observed the children watching wide-eyed as their very engaging teacher began a science lesson. Each child was encouraged to take a close look as salt, sugar, chalk and a small bead were stirred one by one into a glass of water. Everywhere we went the group (particularly the teachers) was impressed by the resourcefulness of Pratham staff, working on non-existent budgets – we didn’t see a single interactive whiteboard, but all of the children were engaged and keen to learn.

  Education for education

  Our visit to another inspiring initiative began with a climb down a steep staircase into almost complete darkness. In the basement of a building in a rural area, we were introduced to three new Pratham trainees. They were learning basic computer skills by the light of a torch and the screens of the two laptops they shared (as the area suffers regular power shortages, their computers were being powered by a makeshift generator). This was a Pratham IT centre, a key part of their very successful Education for Education initiative. This programme offers free computer training to local people in return for 15 hours of their time volunteering for Pratham. The manager of each centre provides the IT training, and they too are incentivised by a business partnership which allows them to keep the laptops after two years’ involvement in the scheme, and to rent them to local people in the meantime. 

  Mary Walker, Reading Manager said:

  I have a greater awareness of the good and powerful teaching that can be done with very little resources.

  Presentation on Ofsted to the Chief Secretary of the State of Delhi

  Our visit coincided with the end of a period of review on school inspection standards in the state of Delhi, and one of the most gratifying aspects of the exchange visit is that it allowed us to make a contribution to influencing positive change at state level. Following visits to schools and children’s centres in the UK, Pratham staff had passed on information about the role of Ofsted in regulating standards to state education officials. Our group was asked to deliver a presentation on how Ofsted works in the UK, and the experiences of the group were received with great interest by the Chief Secretary and senior education officials of the State of Delhi. Shortly after our visit, we were delighted to hear that the Review Committee had submitted a report suggesting “a new concept of conducting school inspections with the primary focus being on the learning outcomes of the children”[1].

  Gillian Thompson, Education Improvement Consultant explained:

  Presenting to the government of Delhi on England’s Ofsted system of accountability for schools was also a highlight – a great experience!

  Rhonda Brooks, Librarian, said the following about the experience:

  The trip was a successful mix of learning and exchange which has had a profound professional and personal impact on me. I will not forget the wonderful visit for a very long time, and believe that it will greatly influence my professional practice and personal development in the future.

  We would like to thank Pratham and the British Council for facilitating this incredible learning experience, and look forward to continuing this positive  relationship with both organisations.

  If you would like to read the longer, more detailed report on the visit by delegate Amanda Halden, please contact irene.picton@literacytrust.org.uk. 

  The blog from the trip, written by delegates Bethan Sullivan, Keith White, Louise Richards and Tony Dallas, can be found here.

  A selection of photos from the trip can be found here.

  Articles by Active Citizens taking part in the exchange can be found here:

  http://www.literaturewales.org/south-wales-valleys-literature-development-initiative/i/140548/

  http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/lfc-makes-india-visit

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  [1] http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/article2846319.ece#.TyeJi_vDt-w.email

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