Distributing audio-visual content with Same Language Subtitling (SLS) to reinforce reading skills learned at school.
Project Name
Putting Children's Reading Literacy on a Path to Lifelong Practice and Improvement
Location Implemented
India
Technology Used
Communications Technology
Competition Entered
Grant Competition 2011
Reading Skill Targeted
Reading
Status
Winner
The Challenge
In rural India, 42.5% of children in grades 3-5 cannot read a grade 1 level text (ASER 2011). Furthermore, in grade 5, a shockingly low 51.8% cannot read a grade 2 text. Reading instruction inside the classroom remains weak and supplemental reading instruction outside the classroom remains rare.
The Big Idea
This project introduced same language subtitling (SLS) for TV programs, songs, music videos, and movies--SLS was added on all the songs of 10 weekly Marathi movies telecast in prime time on Zee Talkies, a popular movie channel. The theory of change is that exposure at home to audio-visual content that contains SLS will reinforce reading skills learned in school and that regular SLS exposure will lead to increased rates of functional literacy achievement and decreased rates of complete illiteracy.
Results
The latest ASER 2016 confirms that reading skills among rural school children in Maharashtra did improve significantly as compared to ASER 2013 and/or ASER 2014, relative to most other Indian states. The gains cannot and should not ONLY be attributed to the SLS intervention, but it likely made a standout contribution because of its statewide reach. Any non-broadcast intervention would be hard-pressed to match that scale.
Featured Innovation
BookBox
A free mobile-friendly library offered in more than 45 languages.
Blogs and Media
Research and Resources
BookBox
A free mobile-friendly library offered in more than 45 languages.AniBooks
PlanetRead's collection of leveled AniBooks (animated stories) with Same-Language Subtitling offered in more than 50 languages.TEDxCERN: Reading for a billion, with Bollywood
PlanetRead President Brij Kothari asks from the TEDxCERN stage, "Imagine for a moment that you wake up and were unable to read, what would be the consequences in your life?"PlanetRead / Brij Kothari
PlanetRead shares their ACR GCD-funded innovation to reinforce reading skills learned in school by adding same language subtitling (SLS) to audio-visual content in India.USAID the Catalog
USAID spotlights leading science and technology projects for solving global challenges related to education, health, water and others.
