In a small village in Gujarat lives 10-year-old Harshil. His father tends to the fields while his mother juggles household responsibilities and farming. Like many families in the village, theirs is a life of long hours and modest means.

With his parents away at work for much of the day, Harshil often drifted towards the fields to play rather than attend school. Over time, these frequent absences began to affect his learning and he struggled to keep pace with his classmates, which took a toll on his confidence. Financial constraints coupled with their own limited educational background made it difficult for Harshil's parents to support his studies at home.

Around this time, in January 2026, Pratham reached his village to conduct a learning camp. Designed for children in Grades 3 to 5, the 30-40 day camp helps strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy skills through play-based activities like games, stories and songs. These activities not only make learning fun and engaging but also create opportunities for children to participate, practise, and build confidence.

As part of the camp, children are assessed to determine their current learning levels. Harshil’s baseline assessment revealed that although he was in Grade 4, he could only recognise letters and faced difficulty identifying numbers beyond nine. Harshil joined the camp soon after.

In these camps, children are grouped according to their current learning levels rather than grades, and taught using the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach. Pioneered by Pratham, TaRL breaks away from the “chalk and talk" practices common in most classrooms. Instead, it consists of simple, engaging, and creative daily learning activities, where the starting point for instruction is wherever the child happens to be, regardless of age or grade.

Soon, learning for Harshil began to feel different. Children sang rhymes, played interactive games, and learned together through engaging activities. As the days passed, Harshil started participating in the activities. By the second week, he had started reading simple sentences on his own. He also began recognising numbers and solving basic addition problems with confidence. The hesitation that once held him back slowly gave way to curiosity and engagement.

As his confidence grew, so did his interest in studies. Attending school no longer felt like a burden, and it soon became a regular part of his daily routine once again. “Earlier, I did not feel like going to school. But now, learning through play has made studies enjoyable, and I go to school every day,” Harshil shares with a smile.

Today, Harshil can read paragraphs and is beginning to read stories independently. In mathematics, he can solve simple addition and subtraction problems with ease. He has also joined Pratham's Children's Club — part of our flagship Hamara Gaon program — where children in Grades 3-8 come together for peer-to-peer learning. The clubs meet regularly, giving children the opportunity to engage in reading and maths activities, while also exploring art, craft, and drawing.

The Pratham volunteer, who watched his transformation over the course of the camp, puts it simply: “From being hesitant and withdrawn, Harshil has grown into a child who asks questions, participates actively, and approaches learning with confidence."