MUMBAI, 25 MARCH 2023: Indian film industry starlet and UNICEF India Celebrity Advocate Kareena Kapoor Khan today visited Mitha Nagar Municipal School in Goregaon (West), Mumbai, to promote foundational learning (in early grades) and to support the #EveryChildReading Movement in the state that will be launched in April 2023.
In her interaction with teachers and primary grade children Kareena Kapoor Khan took a keen interest to understand how children coped with learning during and after the pandemic. She underlined how important it is for children to learn early to read, write and count; and the importance of offering learning options in children’s mother tongue. She then engaged children in a fun storytelling session where she read an interactive story to stimulate their imagination.
“Today I met with young children and saw their immense enthusiasm to read and learn. As a mother, I understand the power of reading and storytelling that can inspire and motivate young minds, especially if it’s in a language that they understand well,” Kareena Kapoor Khan said.
Launched by the Education Department, Government of Maharashtra in partnership with UNICEF and Pratham Books in 2020, the reading campaign, Goshtiche Shaniwar (or Reading Saturdays) provides children with one storybook every week, to promote their emotional well-being, as well as support their language proficiency. Under the campaign, one story each in Marathi, Urdu, and English is being shared with students in grades 1-8 every Saturday. The campaign covered all the 36 districts of Maharashtra and reached over 1 lakh schools, 2.6 lakh teachers, and 31 lakh children.
Rajeshwari Chandrasekar, Chief, UNICEF Maharashtra said, “It’s essential that we focus on foundational learning and equip our children with the basic skills they need to succeed in life. This includes reading, writing, and basic numeracy skills. Through initiatives like the Goshtiche Shaniwar Reading Campaign and #EveryChildReading Movement, we can inspire every citizen in the state to play their role in ensuring every child reading.. With a strong foundation in place, children not only can enjoy the magic of stories but also unlock their full potential and thrive in the future.”
