Pratham | Madhav Chavan | Skoll Awardee 2011

Pratham is an innovative learning organization created to improve the quality of education in India. As one of the largest non-governmental organizations in the country, Pratham focuses on high-quality, low-cost, and replicable interventions to address gaps in the education system.

Established in 1995 to provide education to children in the slums of Mumbai, Pratham has grown both in scope and geographical coverage. Pratham means “first” in Sanskrit. True to its name, it is the first major organization to achieve lasting, large-scale success in India’s educational landscape.

Pratham works in collaboration with the government, local communities, parents, teachers, volunteers, and civil society members. They seek not only reach as many children as possible, but also to create a replicable model for state governments.

Pratham’s strategies reconfigure teaching methodologies, break down traditional tactics, and challenge the rote learning mechanisms used in Indian schools.

In its early years Pratham developed innovative teaching-learning methods, materials, and measurement techniques. In 2005, they pioneered a nationwide school survey that has had a major impact on national and international policy discussions.

The Skoll Foundation presents the Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship each year to a select group of social entrepreneurs whose innovations have already had significant, proven impact on some of the world’s most pressing problems, and invests directly in the promise of even greater impact at scale. By investing in organizations when an innovation is ripe for accelerated and scaled adoption, the Skoll Awards help unleash the full global potential and reach of social entrepreneurs.

Each Awardee receives a $1.25 million, three-year core support investment to scale their work and increase their impact. They also gain leverage through their long-term participation in a global community of visionary leaders and innovators dedicated to solving the world’s most pressing problems.

We select Awardees that focus on one or more of the following issues: Environmental Sustainability, Education, Economic Opportunity, Health, Peace and Human Rights, and Sustainable Markets.

Video Credits
Director/Camera: Gabriel Diamond
Editor: Quinn Costello
Executive Producer: Phil Collis