COX'S BAZAR, BANGLADESH: October 25, 2016 - Joynur Jahan Joba, 10, reads the Koran in the morning before going to school. Photo by Morgana Wingard
COX'S BAZAR, BANGLADESH: October 25, 2016 - Joynur's mother, Shahena Akter, 24, lights the fire in the morning to make breakfast and tea for the family. Photo by Morgana Wingard
COX'S BAZAR, BANGLADESH: October 25, 2016 - Joynur Jahan Joba, 10, gets ready for school in the morning. Photo by Morgana Wingard
COX'S BAZAR, BANGLADESH: October 25, 2016 - Now that Joynur Jahan Joba, 10, can read she does tthe accounts for her father, a day laborer, and reads bills for him. Photo by Morgana Wingard
COX'S BAZAR, BANGLADESH: October 25, 2016 - When Joynur's mother is busy with cooking, Joynur helps her younger brother and sister with their studies. Photo by Morgana Wingard
COX'S BAZAR, BANGLADESH: October 25, 2016 - Joynur Jahan Joba, 10, brings her books home from school and reads with her mother. Photo by Morgana Wingard
COX'S BAZAR, BANGLADESH: October 25, 2016 - Joynur Jahan Joba, 10, studies at home with new books supplied through the Reading Enhancement for Advancing Development (READ) project. READ is a 4-year collaboration with Save the Children International to improve early grade reading competence. Learning to read affects all aspects of children’s education. By ensuring a strong foundation at the beginning of school, the expectation is that fewer children will repeat grades or drop out in the primary cycle. A higher proportion will hopefully complete school with solid primary school skills–such as literacy–which are critical life skills in today’s world. Photo by Morgana Wingard
COX'S BAZAR, BANGLADESH: October 25, 2016 - Photo by Morgana Wingard
COX'S BAZAR, BANGLADESH: October 25, 2016 - Joynur Jahan Joba, 10, is one of many students in Bangladesh who have improved their reading skills thanks to the Reading Enhancement for Advancing Development (READ) project. READ is a 4-year collaboration with Save the Children International to improve early grade reading competence. Learning to read affects all aspects of children’s education. By ensuring a strong foundation at the beginning of school, the expectation is that fewer children will repeat grades or drop out in the primary cycle. A higher proportion will hopefully complete school with solid primary school skills–such as literacy–which are critical life skills in today’s world. Photo by Morgana Wingard
COX'S BAZAR, BANGLADESH: October 25, 2016 - Photo by Morgana Wingard
COX'S BAZAR, BANGLADESH: October 25, 2016 - Joynur Jahan Joba, 10, is one of many students in Bangladesh who have improved their reading skills thanks to the Reading Enhancement for Advancing Development (READ) project. READ is a 4-year collaboration with Save the Children International to improve early grade reading competence. Learning to read affects all aspects of children’s education. By ensuring a strong foundation at the beginning of school, the expectation is that fewer children will repeat grades or drop out in the primary cycle. A higher proportion will hopefully complete school with solid primary school skills–such as literacy–which are critical life skills in today’s world. Photo by Morgana Wingard
COX'S BAZAR, BANGLADESH: October 25, 2016 - The READ project initiated Community Reading Camps (CRCs) outside of school hours to increase opportunities for children to read. Photo by Morgana Wingard
COX'S BAZAR, BANGLADESH: October 25, 2016 - In Bangladesh, the number of contact hours in school is very low compared to other countries which constrains the time children have to practice reading. Without opportunities to practice reading outside school, it is difficult for children to become fluent readers or to understand what they read. Moreover, in a system geared to passing exams, memorization of textbooks is believed to lead to the best results. This means that many teachers and parents discourage reading books other than textbooks because it is considered a waste of time. Given this backdrop, early grade education in Bangladesh often focuses on memorization of textbook content. In the little time available in Bangla lessons, questions and dialogue are not encouraged. The physical space of the classroom does not allow for participation or interaction other than the teacher-centric approach. Where class sizes are large, there is no room to change the classroom lay-out. Despite a primary curriculum that focuses on competencies, factors such as these constrain children from gaining strong foundational skills in reading. The environment of the camp is ‘print rich’, meaning that it is festive and decorated with materials that reinforce reading skills. Activities such as reading to children, storytelling, and games such as ‘hangman’ are part of the weekly routine. The weekly camps are facilitated by a local Community Literacy Volunteer (CLV) who is trained on early grade literacy activities. There are two Camps per school ‘catchment’ to ensure that children who live further from school do not miss out. Photo by Morgana Wingard
COX'S BAZAR, BANGLADESH: October 26, 2016 - Teacher training by the USAID funded READ project helps teachers measure reading skill in the early grades. It also provides strategies for teachers to help struggling students. Photo by Morgana Wingard