Dear Reader,

Wish you a very Happy Independence Day. Let there be freedom in our thoughts and fervor in our action that strives for a better tomorrow.

Today in the spotlight we have 20 youth from skilling center in Kanpur who stitched more than 8000 flags interspersed with hope as part of the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign. The section also features the findings of the Plastic STORI, a well-timed study on plastic waste that has afflicted rural India. Moving forward, our director, Annette Frances critically examines the roadblocks in introducing STEM education in school and how both STEM and TVET can work in tandem that can benefit the youth of this country.

For our special edition, let's celebrate the story of an unsung hero who is inspiring scores of youth in his village, that was formerly a Naxalite hotbed, and encouraging them to be part of our reading and math camp housed by a Madrassa there.

Har Ghar Tiranga via Kanpur 

Enthused by the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign to mark the celebration of 75th Independence day, 20 youth from our skilling center in Kanpur contributed to stitching the national flag, that represents the hopes and aspirations of the people of India. We are proud to present a small teaser of the efforts made by the youth who are currently undergoing training.

The Plastic STORI (Plastic Study of Rural India)

In the month of May, Pratham, with the support of on-ground staff and volunteers, conducted an exploratory study in 700 villages across 70 districts in 15 states, to understand different facets of the plastic waste issue plaguing rural India. The data was collected from key stakeholders - households, hospitals/clinics, tea stall, scrap dealer, medical store and members of the Gram Panchayat. To know about the findings, read more on plasticstudy.pratham.org.

NEP 2020 recommends STEM education in schools but what about bottlenecks? Enter TVET

The National Education Policy of 2020 has recommended that some form of STEM education needs to be introduced at each level of schooling. However, Annette Francis - Director, Skilling, Livelihood and Entrepreneurship highlights how TVET can be an enabler to bring STEM to school.

Learning to Read, One Madrassa at a Time

In an obscure village of Aranga in Gaya, a member of our team discovers an unsung hero and a religious institution, who are at the foreground of the initiatives taken by Pratham. Mr. Sakeel, a paternal figure in the village laments “Almost no household in this village has a male head of the family. They have all gone to Delhi to weave garments”. In their absence, he encourages the youth to train in vocational skilling and facilitates the reading and math camp housed by Madrassa.