A major break in the academic calendar is the summer vacation (April–June), typically lasting one to two months. By adopting a ‘Start Early–Start Strong’ approach, this period offers an opportunity to reinforce foundational learning among children transitioning from primary to upper primary levels. Structured, short-term programs during this time help bridge learning gaps, strengthen core academic skills, and ensure that children are well prepared to adapt to their new academic environment.
A catch-up learning camp for children across India
CAMaL (Combined Activities for Maximized Learning) Ka Camp is Pratham’s large-scale summer learning initiative predominantly for children graduating from Grade 5 to Grade 6.
Students in these grades continue to be among the most vulnerable in the 2024-25 academic year, having missed crucial foundational learning during the pandemic period of 2020-22. For example, according to ASER 2024, only 44.8% of Grade 5 children can read a Grade 2-level text. Similarly, just 26.5% of students can solve a three-digit division problem.
Volunteer-led effort rooted
in local engagement
The camp is entirely led by local volunteers, who conduct learning sessions within their own villages, mohallas, and neighbourhoods. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 encourages community participation to support learning, and CAMaL Ka Camp embodies this vision by fostering a collaborative learning environment.
It engages local volunteers, who, in return, have the opportunity to earn a certificate in a digital readiness course (covering Google tools such as Maps, Lens, etc.) through the Education for Education (EfE) program.
What do we do?
Six-week campaign
Week 1
Warm-up activities with children and a baseline assessment to evaluate the current learning levels.
Week 2-5
Followed by four weeks of instructional activities to teach and track children's progress.
Week 6
Final week showcasing the results of their progress.
With support from local volunteers and governments, Pratham runs the camp at various locations across the country. The camp uses approaches like the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) methodology, which begins instruction at each child’s current learning level—regardless of age or grade—to help them catch up quickly.
The goal is for all children participating in the camp to be able to read fluently with understanding, express their thoughts both orally and in writing, and develop strong analytical and math skills by the end of the program.
Math tool
Reading tool
The ASER tool is a progressive tool that has different levels. Each child is evaluated based on the highest level they can comfortably achieve. For reading, levels range from recognising letters to reading a Grade 2-level story. Arithmetic assessment levels range from recognizing numbers to performing basic 3-digit by 1-digit division.
What happens at the camp
- Learning is made engaging through activities and games. The camp begins with warm-up activities.
- These are followed by storytelling and discussions that lead into writing activities. To make storytelling sessions more participative, volunteers have access to a repository of audio stories called the Kahani Train, which are also available on an open platform.
- The focus then shifts to letters and words, with games like Bara-khadi enhancing learning. Each child creates a comprehensive dictionary with words, meanings, sentences, and pictures.
- The camp concludes with math word problems.
