Sathi* (12) attends Ramkrishna Government Primary School at Sylhet district. Imagination taught her to look beyond what you see with your eyes. “I learned courage is not a matter of size when I read ‘Haati and Shiyal’ (The Elephant and the Fox, a Bengali moral story for children). The fox punished the elephant for mistreating all the other animals in the jungle,” she details. When Sathi reads books these days, the words are no longer a puzzle, and the story comes alive. She recalls, “The Catch-Up Club (CuCs) helped me identify alphabets, and conjunct letters so now reading words and sentences is fun.”  
 
The literacy boost approach has made learning an immersive experience in our CuCs because potential flourishes with practice. Sathi has attended since 2022, starting with identifying alphabets to eventually forming words and reading without hesitation. She delightfully explains she’s no longer nervous about writing on the board - “My teachers taught us all the conjunct letters and how to spell them out, and now I can read longer sentences and harder words. When the teacher calls me to the front to write my answers on the board, I feel confident and channel how they practiced with us.”  
 
Ariful Islam (10) is a first-year enrollee in the same CuC, and he loves that learning happens through playing the club. “We play different alphabet and word games that motivate me because I want the winning score. Our teacher always creates a fun environment, so learning doesn’t feel like a task,” he details. Ariful also gained etiquette skills in class; he explains, “We pick up the dos and don’ts of good behavior, so now I’m always alert about greeting elders, not misbehaving as a reaction, and earning friendship through respect.  
 
The Fun-Facilitators  
 
Eva Akhter (20), a learning facilitator at the CuC, has seen a community come together in Sylhet. “Education is our community’s collective priority,” she states - “Parent and schoolteachers give us positive feedback about how children like Sathi and Ariful are not only enthusiastic about attending school but also respectful of others and mindful of good behavior.” Moreover, Eva is also in contact with teachers who complement the CuCs literacy boost approach to improving students’ results and fostering their concentration in lesson plans. “We know when students comprehend lessons and concepts that seem hard, they will be eager learners. The positive feedback from educators is tried and tested. Our students analyze short stories that we review together to ensure that all literacy and comprehension skills are up to the mark,” she exclaims.  
 
Lesson plans are well prepared, starting as games progress into a welcoming environment where students understand that individual attention from teachers focuses on them excelling. Eva begins each lesson with ‘mindfulness games’ - “We use cards to engage the students in the alphabet and word games linked to what we will teach that day. Our process is transparent, reading the lessons or stories out loud so students can identify what they find challenging.” She wants every student to be curious, asking as many questions as needed to grasp essential concepts fully. “Our lessons conclude with one-on-one time with each student to help improve any areas of weakness and their reading. We evaluate their performance regularly and organize group work to encourage learning from peers,” she says. Eva believes that each story creates a new chapter of learning as one in her classroom, “We have the students read the VIP cards out loud, and their peers will instantly identify the story’s name. When you come into a CuC, it’ll seem like children are just playing, but listen a little closer and longer, and you’ll see a new generation of learners who know that education can be fun.”  

Since 2012, we have engaged more than 279,000 through the literacy boost approach. This approach supports students, teachers, parents, and communities in developing the literacy skills of children in the early primary grades, both inside and outside the classroom. The Literary Boost is uniquely tailored to support low-income countries by emphasizing literary acquisition in formal schooling and communities. It is intended to adapt to the local and national context, so teachers are not required to modify their lesson content.