Pratham

Hello, we are Pratham. In the ancient Sanskrit language of India, our name means “first,” and our story is all about giving children the right first steps in their education. Our work began in 1995 in the busy city of Mumbai, India. Back then, our founders, including Madhav Chavan and Farida Lambay, saw a challenge. Many children living in Mumbai’s crowded neighborhoods, known as slums, weren't prepared for their first day of school. To help, we decided to create special preschools right in their own communities. Our goal was simple: to provide a fun and welcoming place where young children could learn and play, getting them ready for a great start in their education and in life.

We were happy to see so many children going to our preschools and then entering primary school. But as time went on, we noticed a new and surprising problem. We saw that millions of children were sitting in classrooms every day, but they weren't learning the most important basic skills. Many students in the third, fourth, or even fifth grade could not read a simple story or solve a basic math problem. Just being in school was not enough. We realized that if children fell behind, it became harder and harder for them to catch up as they got older. We knew we had to find a new way to help these students build a strong foundation for all their future learning.

To solve this big problem, we came up with a new approach we call ‘Teaching at the Right Level,’ or TaRL. The idea is simple but powerful. Instead of grouping children together in a classroom based only on their age or grade, we group them by what they actually know and what they are ready to learn next. If a student needs help with letters and sounds, they work in a group focused on that. If another student is ready for simple sentences, they join a different group. This way, no one feels left behind or bored. We use fun games, hands-on activities, and engaging stories to help children master reading and math skills quickly. Our goal is to help them catch up to their grade level and, most importantly, to feel confident and successful as learners.

After developing our Teaching at the Right Level method, we wanted to understand the learning problem across the entire country of India. How many children were struggling? Where was the need the greatest? To find answers, we started a very special project in 2005. We called it the Annual Status of Education Report, or ASER for short. ASER is not a typical report made by experts in an office. Instead, it is a massive effort led by ordinary citizens who care about education. Every year, we train thousands of volunteers to help us with this important work.

These dedicated ASER volunteers travel to villages in nearly every part of India. They visit homes and ask children to do simple tasks, like reading a short paragraph or solving a two-digit subtraction problem. This simple check gives us a clear picture of what children can and cannot do. It's like taking a yearly check-up on the health of the country's education system. The information we gather is very important. It helps us, as well as the government and other organizations, see exactly where children need more help. Thanks to ASER, we can make sure our programs are reaching the students who need them most.

Over the years, our ideas and programs have helped millions of children all across India learn to read and count. We couldn't do this work alone. A big part of our success comes from working together with others. We partner with local community groups who know their neighborhoods best, and we work closely with government schools to bring our Teaching at the Right Level method to more classrooms. Our work has also inspired people beyond India. The TaRL model has been shared with educators and governments in several other countries in Africa and Asia. We are proud that this simple idea is now helping even more children around the world get the essential skills they need to succeed.

Today, we continue to be guided by our most important mission: to see ‘every child in school and learning well.’ The world is always changing, and so are our methods. We use new technology, like educational software and videos, to make learning more interactive. We also create wonderful storybooks and hands-on science programs to spark children's curiosity and make learning exciting. Everything we do is focused on one goal: giving every single child the opportunity to learn, to grow, and to build a better and brighter future for themselves and their communities.