This article discusses the increase in literacy rates in villages across India. Traditionally, in villages with SLS access, villagers would gather around television sets every Sunday to watch their favorite Bollywood stars in song videos. Nine years ago, India's national television network decided to introduce karaoke-style subtitles to these programs in Hindi, the language that the stars were singing in. This public karaoke-for-literacy experiment is the only one of its kind in the world. Since it started, functional literacy in these states has more than doubled.
This dramatic increase in literacy is big news in India's fight against poverty. As the article explains, increased literacy is not only linked to economic growth, but also to better health, greater gender equality, and a more transparent political progress. Interestingly, this experimental method is an incredibly cost effective tool, averaging only 1 cent per person per year. This method has drawn the attention of academics and educators who have tried for decades to make literacy programs fun, engaging for children and adults, and cost effective. While this new technique is not without shortcomings, it has certainly produced a positive outcome in its early stages.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/09/19/watch_and_learn/
Thanks for this article Andria; a great example of creativity in action!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this article. I did not know about this at all. It is brilliant idea and very cost effective.
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