by lwang | Dec 14, 2011 | Education, Pratham, Sustainable Development
Kravis Prize winners are tackling pertinent social issues throughout the world. For example, 2010 Kravis Prize winner Pratham has been praised for its innovative solutions in education. Pratham Books’ latest initiative, Awareness Today for a Greener Tomorrow, aims to kill two birds with one stone by promoting environmental awareness and literacy. According to the Hindu, Pratham Books is releasing environmentally themed books as part of its campaign. Manisha Chaudhry, head of content development at Pratham Books, said: “We are doing this in a way that is natural and real, rather than teaching them lessons in morals and ecology. We hope the books will make readers respect wildlife. We want the children to know that like us, animals too have many dimensions to them. We can make children more sensitive towards them.” Since 2011 was named the “International Year of the Forest” by the United Nations General Assembly, Pratham Books is holding different events throughout December to spread awareness for a greener world. Head on over to their website to check out the events and conservation tips! You can also learn more about Pratham here. “Planting an idea” [The Hindu, December 9,...
by lwang | Nov 16, 2011 | Education, Pratham
Here at the Kravis Prize, we’re proud that our winners continually lead the dialogue on international development issues. In honor of Children’s Day in India this past Monday, Pratham CEO Madhav Chavan contributed an article to the Hindustan Times, discussing the future of education. Chavan commended the increasing strides towards breaking down technological and economic barriers to knowledge, but acknowledged that there is still much more to be done: “The education system tries to fit the technology to serve its dead content and dull processes that deliver a linear curriculum rather than taking advantage of the randomness of access to live knowledge that the technology facilitates. Using ICT without changing the mindset about education will not improve the system of education. The tablet alone is unlikely to cure the patient. It requires a change of lifestyle as physicians often say.” The Hindustan Times and Indian Express also published articles by Pratham members, MIT Professor Abhijit Banerjee and Accountability Initiative Director Yamini Aiyar, who discussed public versus private schools and India’s Right to Education Act. Find out more of what these leaders in education have to say: “Learning curbs” [The Hindustan Times, Abhijit Banerjee, November 13, 2011] “The tablet as a pill” [The Hindustan Times, Madhav Chavan, November 13, 2011] “The right to fix your education” [The Indian Express, Yamini Aiyar, November 14, 2011] And to find out more about Pratham, head over to our profile of the 2010 Kravis Prize...
by lwang | Oct 12, 2011 | Education, Pratham
Pratham, the 2010 Kravis Prize winner, is world-renowned for its programs that tackle the major issues in India’s education system. In the Huffington Post, blogger and author C.M. Rubin discussed the potential parallels between the state of education in the United States and India, including the educational readiness of children from poor and low-income families. Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham CEO and co-Founder, shared his thoughts with Rubin on what India and the U.S. might learn from each other’s education systems: “On the face of it, the two systems are at least a century apart and may have nothing to learn from each other. Indian educators would need to look at how the US schools evolved over the last two centuries, and the US counterparts may want to look at how similar the root causes of poor learning are in schools where children of the poor go. I have been thinking lately that the basic model of the school is fast becoming outdated in the modern times … Perhaps both sets of educators should sit down and ask what kind of schools are needed for this century and if they can be systematically developed over the next twenty years.” Chavan also shared some of his insight on Pratham’s solutions to problems facing education in India: “In India, our first objective in many cases is teaching the child basic skills such as reading and writing. Our annual education survey also checks children’s competence in these basic skills and also their school attendance … Looking at the indicators and outcomes is the first step. Based on those results that I have explained...
by lwang | Jul 27, 2011 | Pratham, Rukmini Banerji
We’re excited to bring our readers another guest post from Pratham’s Rukmini Banerji! Here, we learn about one of Pratham’s innovative computer literacy programs in rural India, Education for Education. We’ll be posting more content from our past recipients in the near future, so stay tuned! – Kravis Prize It was mid morning. We were in a remote area of rural Katihar district in the state of Bihar in eastern India. The village road wound through the fields and past mango orchards. We stopped outside a small house with bamboo fencing. We walked in through the little gate into the courtyard. A few bicycles were parked under a tree. The house in front had two small rooms and a small verandah. Shoes and slippers were lying neatly at the edge of the room. The floor and the walls were bare – just simple mats on the floor. But in the center of the room we could see two laptops. Four young people sat with the computers – two to one computer – with the computer instructor right next to them. She was young – not more than 20 or 22. Her students were also probably the same age. They were learning how to make PowerPoint presentations. I sat quietly behind this group for a long time. The instructor spoke and the students did what she said. It was the best lesson on making PowerPoint presentations that I had ever witnessed. Apart from a quick welcome, neither the students nor the instructor paid any attention to me. They concentrated on the work they were doing. I later learned that the...
by lwang | Jul 21, 2011 | Kravis Prize, Pratham
Absolute silence reigned over the cavernous hall in MoMA – New York’s Museum of Modern Art – which plays host to the Kravis Prize award ceremony. A mass of people waited to listen. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as Henry Kravis made his comments, handed me the check and stepped off the dais. Now it was my turn. It was only at that moment, as I stood facing crowd, that the enormity and the significance of the award hit me. I was here representing Pratham, a vast network of young leaders throughout India who unselfishly strive to provide the country’s children with high quality education. The momentum generated from the strength of these individuals working together brought me to this stage in New York City, and thinking of all of their earnest faces, suddenly I no longer felt alone. It was around this time last year that I went to New York City to receive the 2010 Kravis Prize in Leadership on behalf of Pratham. We had learned that we won the Prize some weeks in advance and recognized the experience as a big honor. But, many thousands of miles away in another part of the world, the Kravis Prize seemed distant and unreal. After spending 16 hours on a plane, I arrived in the U.S. and had the opportunity to meet with Henry and Marie-Josée Kravis. We discussed our respective interests in a conversation that moved easily between anecdotes and identifying approaches to create change. Although I had never previously met Mr. and Mrs. Kravis, it was clear they both thoroughly understand and support our work...
