Mobile-based, scalable solutions for improving child literacy in low-resource contexts.

The Grand Challenge

Without literacy, millions of children face limited economic opportunity and poorer health

More than 90 percent of primary-age children in low-income countries and 75 percent of children in lower-middle income countries – more than 387 million children – are not expected to read or do basic maths by the end of primary school. Children who do not develop reading skills during early primary education are on a lifetime trajectory of limited economic opportunities and poorer health. Early grade reading competency is critical for continued retention and success in future grades, and the educational achievement of a country’s population is directly correlated with its economic growth rate.

The Big Idea

Seeking solutions from university students for improving early grade reading

ACR GCD and UC Berkeley (through support of the Rudd Family Foundation) launched the Big Ideas: Mobiles for Reading Challenge, which solicited ideas from university students for mobile-based innovations to improve early grade reading for children in developing countries. The prize sought new innovations or enhancements to existing ones that could provide scalable approaches for improving and measuring children’s reading.