Assam

Pratham has had a formal partnership with the Assam Government during 2007 and 2008. However, since 2009, due to continual expression of interest, but lack of action on the Assam Government’s part, Pratham has focused largely on building village level partnerships instead of approaching the state and district Governments.

In addition, Pratham has worked in partnership with UNICEF in 8 Districts of Assam, giving support to 437 teachers in the Read Enhancement Program.

Here is what the Aser report found in Assam.

• Male literacy is 71.3%.
• Female literacy is 54.6%.
• However, only 45% of children in fifth grade can read a 2nd grade text.
• And 62% of children in fifth grade can do basic division.

Working with parents, teachers, students, village heads and the government, we provide a strong Read India campaign and an assortment of other programs:

Read India

Working in 1200 villages, Pratham mobilized 2400 volunteers to teach basic literacy and math in grades 1 & 2, and reading fluency and comprehension in grades 3 & 4.

Education for Education (EFE)

Currently, Pratham is preparing a roll out of the EFE program. EFE is a program designed to strengthen Read India by offering courses to volunteers in exchange for her contributions to the program. In the current phase of EFE, computer courses are available, while spoken English will be offered in the future.

Village Level Partnerships

While no formal MoUs have been signed at the village level, Pratham informed the gaonburrahs (village heads) of its activities and obtained verbal support in almost every village. Pratham has also received support from the community in the form of identification volunteers and authorization for Pratham volunteers to teach schools – a clear recognition of the growing understanding of the value of education.

Pratham Education Committees

To increase the involvement of the community in their child’s
education, Pratham is planning to set up Pratham Education Committees (PEC) in every village. These committees will comprise of parents of school-going children with an aim to test children periodically to gauge their progress and also to monitor the volunteer classes.