Summer vacation time is just round the corner and children are already looking to escape the constraints of a classroom. But there are around 60 million children in the country in the age group of 6-14 years who cannot read. So this summer, these children will be taught how to read through the Read India Pledge.

Read India Pledge is a movement launched by Pratham, an NGO that aims to help?underprivileged children realise their dreams by enabling them to read, write and know basic arithmetic. Through the campaign, it is hoped that every child in the age bracket of 6 to 14 will have basic education by year 2009 and will be taught to read through the Read India Pledge. SBI Life Insurance has partnered with Pratham?s Read India Program and Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM to achieve this goal.?

Commenting on the initiative, US Roy, MD, CEO, SBI Life Insurance, says: ?We believe that the ability to read would enable millions of children fulfill their dreams. Through this initiative we want to sensitise citizens and urge them to pledge their support.? Listeners of Radio Mirchi can hear about Read India Pledge daily, between 7.30 am and 11 am and between 2 pm and 3 pm. Not only do the radio jockeys talk about the Pledge and its aim, they also?ask for volunteers to take part in the Pledge. Celebrities who are on air also champion the cause by talking about it. ?We have 30 stations in the country and are hopeful that listeners come forward and support the cause,? informs Nandan Srinath, COO, Radio Mirchi. ?When your favourite radio jockey talks enthusiastically about something, we find that most listeners want to follow him/her. We earnestly hope that happens in great numbers with Read India Pledge too.?

Pratham has been presenting an annual report to the government on the status of school-going children. ?We found that 40% of school-going children in the four-to-six-year age group cannot read,? says Ujwal Thakar, CEO, Pratham India, adding, as per the assessment of status of education report 2008, 50% of children entering school drop out by the time they enter Class V.??Pratham has launched the Read India campaign aimed at achieving reading and arithmetic proficiency for children within and outside the school system.

?The campaign will be phased over two years and has to achieve its goals by 31st March 2009,? informs Thakar. ?The phasing will be both geographical (about 300 districts in the first year and the balance in the second year) and sequential within each district (there will be a summer campaign followed up by a low-intensity school campaign during the academic year).?

The campaign includes fun-filled on-ground activities involving the general public with the aim of creating awareness and support for the cause. Through the ?Read India Pledge?, citizens too can register their support. For every pledge taken, SBI Life will make a token donation.

Individuals, corporates and associations can?pledge their support by messaging ?PLEDGE? to 58888 or online on http://www.sbilife.co.in or radiomirchi.com