Pratham has received a $3 million, 3-year grant from the Skoll Foundation to scale up Pratham’s literacy program through partnerships with state governments in India. The grant comes at a pivotal time. The 2015 Annual Status of Education Report found that although school enrollment is at 96.7%, the proportion of fifth graders who can read a second grade text only improved by a single percentage point from 2013 to 48.1%.
Unlike traditional classroom models which group children by age, Pratham groups children by ability. And the results of this design speak for themselves. Independent evaluation of the Pratham program shows that 80% of the children who attend a Pratham learning camp can read fluently by the end of the 40-day session. Pratham Tri-State hosted a stimulating panel discussion and reception at Citi recently.
Authorities on the Indian subcontinent Madhav Dhar, Pravin Krishna, Rakesh Mohan, Arvind Sanger, and Ambassador Frank Wisner shared their views on the outlook for India, both in developing ties with the US and other countries and as an investment destination. The round table was moderated by Sadanand Dhume, who led a rousing Q&A with the 200 guests in attendance.
More than 800 guests representing a cross-section of the Houston community gathered at the Hilton Americas in April to celebrate 20 years of Pratham. Gala Chairs Lillie Robertson, Harriet Latimer and Beth Madison, along with Chapter President Dr. Marie Goradia, orchestrated the evening, which raised a record-breaking $2 million and honored University of Houston President and Chancellor Dr. Renu Khator.
Inspired by Pratham’s teaching philosophy, Fulbright Fellow Michael Beeler set out to test an innovative school model using low-cost tablets in Kenya and Tanzania. Known as RARE Education, the initiative was part of the MIT Global Ideas Challenge and won the D-Prize for education.
