An Introduction to

Pratham

Every Child in School and

Learning Well
Illiteracy in India
 35 percent of India’s population is illiterate

 One in every two children of ages 6-14 years – 100 million children – cannot read,
write or do basic arithmetic

“Education in the new India has

become a crucial marker of inequality.
Among the poorest 20 percent of
Indian men, half are illiterate, and
barely 2 percent graduate from high
school...By contrast, among the
richest 20 percent of Indian men,
nearly half are high school graduates
and only 2 percent are illiterate.
“Education Push Yields Little for India’s Poor”,
New York Times, January 17, 2008

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About Pratham
 India’s largest non-profit in the area of primary education

 Our mission: To ensure that every child is in school and learning well

 Started in Mumbai in 1994 by Dr. Madhav Chavan and Farida Lambay. Now
present in urban and rural areas across India.

 Key pillars of our vision:

– Address educational needs of underprivileged children aged 3-16 years
– Bring about change on a large scale
– Keep costs low by leveraging existing infrastructure and institutions
– Engage multiple stakeholders including the government, the community and
the private sector
– Maximize impact by measuring and evaluating programs
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Our programs address barriers to learning

URBAN DIRECT RURAL

BARRIERS PROGRAMS PROGRAMS

Lack of school readiness Pre-schools

Poor learning in schools Remedial programs Read India

Low access to books Libraries, publishing

Out-of-school children Bridge programs

Lack of employable skills Vocational training

Child labor Advocacy, shelters

Low focus on education quality Advocacy through Annual Status of Education Report

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Our urban direct programs

 Present across 50 cities and 2000

villages
 Located in community spaces and
in schools
 Run by young women and men
from the community with the
assistance of Pratham staff
 Benefited over 1 million children
in 2007-08 alone Pratham pre-school in Mumbai

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Annual Survey of Education Report (ASER)

 India’s largest independent survey of

learning levels
 First conducted in 2005
 Uses simple yet rigorous techniques to test
learning levels of children
 Surveyed more than 720,000 children,
16,000 villages and 13,200 schools across
India in 2007
 Has emerged as a powerful advocacy tool
by focusing on educational outcomes

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Read India
 ASER 2005 revealed that although 94% of children ages 6-14 are enrolled in school, almost
50% cannot read even by Grade 5

 Read India launched in May 2007 in response to this insight. Goals:

– Teach basic reading, writing and math to children in grades 1-5
– Complete current phase of work by December 2009

 Process:
– Train teachers and community volunteers in Pratham’s accelerated learning techniques
– Ensure children spend focused time in schools or communities on activities designed to
improve basic skills
– Create and supply attractive and age-appropriate teaching and learning materials
– Measure results

 Key achievements:
– More than 31 million children reached
– More than 800,000 teachers and 375,000 volunteers trained
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About Pratham USA
 Established as a 501(c)3 organization in 1999 to raise funds and awareness of
Pratham’s programs

 Over 10,000 donors and 350 volunteers across the US

– Motivated by a belief in education and a desire to give back

 Contributes to >30% of Pratham’s revenues

– 2008 revenues: $10.7 M

 Active chapters in several cities

– NY, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle,
Boston, Washington DC, Tampa, Chicago and North Carolina.

 Four Star rating from Charity Navigator (highest possible)

– Reflects financial health, low expenses, and operational effectiveness
– Fund-raising and admin expenses contribute to <5% of revenues

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Our supporters include…

$9.1 million grant for

Read India

$4 million grant for

ASER

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Thank You!
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