Mumbai : Kids may be living in the IT age today, but their first experience with words begins with their desire to read, as “Reading unlocks the world,” according to Chris Jolly, Founder and Publisher of Jolly Learning.
Chris Jolly, Founder of Jolly Learning and publisher of the globally renowned Jolly Phonics programme, recently visited Mumbai as part of his India tour to champion early literacy and phonics-based education. The visit marks another step in his ongoing effort to strengthen foundational learning across Indian classrooms.
Reflecting on his journey, Mr. Jolly said, “When I started Jolly Phonics, reading standards in the UK were in decline. We discovered that the real solution lay not only in better materials but in a better method—one that helps children connect sounds to letters and blend them to form words. India now has the same opportunity to build that strong literacy foundation.”
Mr. Jolly, a global literacy expert, was visiting India to “revolutionize” early literacy training for children and help school teachers be more successful in teaching children to read at any age.
Jolly, who is promoting the Jolly Phonics programme of English reading in over 100 countries, told this correspondent recently that with much of the world’s information being most accessible in print—some digital, some in books—reading remains the master key.
“Without English, people are constrained geographically and financially, even as the global trend shifts from teaching English as a foreign language to as another first language,” says Jolly, who is emphasizing the need for structured phonics training across schools.
Recalling reading standards being on the decline in the UK when he started Jolly Phonics, Jolly noted that India’s greatest strength lies in its openness to English and its flexible education framework, which has allowed innovative teaching methods like Jolly Phonics to be successfully implemented in Tamil Nadu, besides even in Nagaland and Ladakh.
About his whistle-stop nine-city India tour—including Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Indore, Delhi, and Jodhpur—Jolly noted that India has long been welcoming and familiar with English, though South India has seen English as a “window” to the world.
“Children still need tactile, hands-on learning experiences,” he said while urging focus on decodable readers—storybooks that match a child’s reading level—to reinforce learning in an engaging way and enable young learners to unlock the joy of reading.
To a question on whether his reading literacy efforts have reached the pinnacle of success, Jolly’s reaction was, “We never think we’ve reached ‘nirvana’ as there’s always room to do better. We are increasing the use of digital tools to support secure and stronger outcomes.”
