Pratham Celebrates 30 Years of Transforming Education and Empowering Communities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2025, Houston, United States — In 1995, Dr. Madhav Chavan and Farida Lambay founded Pratham with a vision to provide education to children in underserved areas of Mumbai, India. By partnering with local communities, they created preschools and remedial classes, opening doors to learning for children. Thirty years later, Pratham has grown into one of the largest and most impactful non-governmental organizations. In 2023-24 academic year, Pratham reached over 9 million children and young people in India, and reached communities in over 20 countries.
Pratham—meaning “first” in Sanskrit—remains true to its name as one of the pioneer non-governmental organizations to achieve lasting, wide-scale success in the educational landscape. From its humble beginnings, Pratham has evolved into a global learning organization known for its innovative, evidence-backed solutions to learning challenges. Through its learning programs Pratham is empowering children, girls and women and young people to unlock their full potential.
Central to Pratham’s success is its groundbreaking Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) methodology. This approach meets children where they are in their learning journey, helping them master essential reading and math skills. TaRL has become a global model for effective education, and is being adopted across countries to address the learning gap. Pratham’s Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), the largest citizen-led, household survey of its kind in India, has further amplified the organization’s impact by gathering data that can inform policymakers to drive systemic change.
Through extensive government partnerships, Pratham has scaled its impact to millions. What began as a local initiative has grown into globally sought after solutions being adopted in countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
At this 30 year milestone, Pratham remains steadfast in its mission to reshape the learning landscape around the world, leveraging its expertise to create pathways for children, youth, and women to learn, earn, and thrive.
MEDIA CONTACT
For more information, please contact:
Priyanka Ghosh, Director of Communications, Pratham USA
pghosh@prathamusa.org
prathamusa.org
ABOUT PRATHAM
Pratham works with the belief that every child should be in school and learning well. Pratham changes the lives of over 5 million children and young people every year. Pratham’s work has been recognized through major International awards, including the Asia Game Changer Award, the BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Award, the WISE Prize for Education, the Henry R. Kravis Leadership Prize, the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, LUI Che Woo Prize in 2018, and the Yidan Prize for education development in 2021.