Today, more than 70 percent of children in primary schools of Pakistan cannot read at the appropriate grade level. During the last decade, Pakistan has made great progress in improving children’s, and especially girls’, access to schools. But during this time there has been more limited emphasis on the need to improve the quality of education in classrooms.
Pakistani children, like children everywhere, deserve an education that will provide a solid foundation for their future success. A quality education gives students the cognitive skills they need to earn a living and contribute to their country’s prosperity. Chief among these necessary basic skills is reading, the essential building block of lifelong learning. Good reading skills greatly help children improve their language skills, which in turn underlie their ability to understand mathematics, sciences, history, and culture. Research shows that reading competency in the early grades is critical for continued success in higher-level classes.
Globally, studies show that student achievement has a direct correlation to a country’s economic growth. A 10 percent increase in the number of students achieving basic literacy translates into a 0.3 percent increase in a country’s annual growth rate. So Pakistan’s future is truly being determined today in its classrooms. As more children learn to read, Pakistan’s economy achieves a solid foundation that can result in a better standard of living for all.
The US Agency for International Development, or USAID, recently embarked on a historic journey to help 100 million children around the world read better by 2015. As part of this strategy, USAID is working in partnership with World Vision and AusAid on an exciting initiative known as “Grand Challenge in Development: All Children Reading.” The purpose of the initiative is to support better reading skills among children. “All Children Reading” will bring together the world’s brightest minds to generate meaningful approaches to improving primary grade reading as rapidly – and on as wide a scale – as possible. Designed to focus on innovations in teaching, classroom evaluation, and education materials, the Grand Challenge will encourage proposals that harness the power of mobile technology to deliver results.
Here in Pakistan, the US government is already working closely with civil society groups and the Pakistan government on various innovate approaches to children’s reading. For example, through a partnership with Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, we are supporting Sim Sim Hamara, a new television show on PTV that will be launched in December. Through colorful puppets and culturally sensitive programming, Sim Sim Hamara will reach young children all over Pakistan to help them develop basic reading and number skills. In addition, we have recently announced a new programme to promote reading skills among more than 700,000 children in Sindh province. We have supported the development of nearly 50 community libraries throughout Kashmir, so children of all ages and all income levels have access to books. We are also supporting the Children’s Literature Festival, which is taking place in Lahore this week under the auspices of Oxford University Press and Foundation Open Society Institute. This is the first literature festival for the children of Pakistan and, by showcasing many talented writers and fun activities, will encourage development of the life-long habit of reading. Alongside many Pakistani partners, my colleagues and I at the US embassy are proud to be part of these many initiatives that are helping Pakistani children learn to read. We look forward to a continued increase in the numbers of children who are learning to read and who, eventually, will be applying that skill to lifting the country’s prosperity.
So to all of you who are reading this article: I encourage you to pledge to read to a child in the next 24 hours! Learning by example is the best way to learn, and there is no better way to encourage a love of reading in children than by sharing time together over a good book.
Dr Marilyn Wyatt is the wife of the Ambassador of the United States, HE Cameron Munter