Page 60 - Education World July 2020

Eyewitness

and self-development projects in Kol-
kata. The lab manages projects and
has researched several topics such as
students motivation and school atten-
dance, storypedagogy and happiness
quotient of children, Katha’s com-
munity-owned and operated libraries
(COOLs) in 39 slum habitations, Big
Ideas in Katha’s children’s books, and
ways and means to support and refine
the I Love Reading programme. It also
provides digital technologies manage-
ment training to government school
teachers. “We are training 1,000 gov-
ernment school teachers in Delhi NCR
to keep Katha projects alive during
the lockdown. We are training them
to adapt to our projects’ technology-
based platforms,” says Sarkar. I Love Reading programme session. Inset: Reeta Sutradhar
eeta Sutradhar, an English
Rand education postgrad of Delhi Initiative, BT Global India, CAF In- munity development. Our fundraising
University who signed up with Katha dia, Commonwealth Girls’ Educa- team of four which sends detailed an-
in 2003 after several years of teach- tion Fund, Cians Analytics, DASRA, nual reports to committed donor-part-
ing in schools, is currently the NGO’s Deloitte, Essar, FICCI, German Em- ners and comprehensive plans to pro-
director (schools). Her portfolio is bassy, HCL Foundation, HDFC Bank, spective donors, has always received
to train teachers in 300 municipal HSBC, New Zealand High Commis- good response,” says A nand Sing h
schools in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar sion, ONGC, Oracle, Raza Foundation, R ana, a physics postgrad of Kumaun
Pradesh (Delhi NCR) and familiarise Rotary International, Sapient, Tata University (Uttarakhand), who signed
them with the storytelling pedagogy Communications, Tech Mahindra up with Katha in 2000 and is director,
developed by Katha Lab School. She Foundation, Villigro, Worldreader, support services.
also heads this innovative NGO’s I Yorkshire and Omidyar network. Although the prolonged closure of
Love Reading programme which has “Contrary to popular perception, schools since mid-March has proved
enthused over 1.4 million children in Indian industry and offshore chari- a setback for Katha’s numerous initia-
corporation schools to improve their ties are forthcoming and generous in tives to disseminate the joy of reading
reading and comprehension. funding ona de NGOs with good and learning through alternative edu-
Post the Covid-19 lockdown, learn- track records in education and com- cation, Dharmarajan is optimistic that
ing has moved online and Sutradhar is Rana: generous donors it will quickly recover its momentum
focused on educating the community after the worst is over. “Work on one
about the pandemic. “Because most of our most ambitious projects to pub-
parents aren’t able to afford Internet lish a GEEK (gender, equity, equality
data charges needed for live online and kindness) volume which will fea-
classes, we are using recorded videos ture 100 stories drawn from a treasure
or WhatsApp to continue children’s house of 2,500 narratives translated
learning. Once the situation improves into Hindi and English from 27 re-
and admissions start, the Katha Lab gional languages is almost complete.
School will hold night classes to pro- Since printing and distribution of pa-
vide remedial learning to our chil- per books is difficult because of lock-
dren,” says Sutradhar. down restrictions, we will be upload-
To sustain its several initiatives, ing an e-version in end July. Later,
Katha is entirely dependent on do- when schools reopen, we’ll publish the
nors and fundraising. Major donor- printed edition. Enabling children’s
partners include the Australian High education through joy of learning is a
Commission, Ark UK, Ashoka Inno- continuous endeavour in Katha,” says
vations, Aviva, Bank of Tokyo, British Dharmarajan.
Asian Trust, Barrington Educational God speed!

60 EDUCATIONWORLD JULY 2020