S4E5: She Matters!

Poor literacy rates amongst children, especially girls, is one of the primary reasons behind socio-economic inequities in India. It sets in motion a life long experience of discrimination, denial and deprivation for the girl child that impacts much of her adult life in terms of identity and choices. Providing access to education and knowledge through reading, a source of primary learning, will go a long way in establishing a strong identity anchored in self-belief, confidence and courage for this girl child. This argument however needs to be examined in context of social and cultural practices that impede learning at primary school levels much across India. How does one then design, create and implement a solution that operates at scale to empower a girl child through good reading habits with a larger goal of establishing socio-economic equity and justice? What infrastructure is required to aid this? What are the capabilities, capacities and leadership skills required to bring about this change? To explore this subject, here’s a conversation with Dr.Bhavna Shinde, a social change maker and a leader advocating and driving sustainable change programs in the field of primary education. She has over two decades of experience at the grassroots level in India and currently works as a National Lead at a leading global nonprofit organisation for child literacy and girls education. Song Credits: Song - O Ri Chiraiya Composer - Ram Sampath Lyricist and Singer - Swanand Kirkire Views and opinions expressed in this episode of the Podcast are those of its guest. Creators of this Podcast expressly disclaim any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of this Podcast. (C) Asha & Milind Agnihotri, 2022