New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) There has been a "remarkable improvement" in the foundational literacy and numeracy levels of children in the city's 62 child care institutes (CCIs), the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) said on Monday.

The commission, with the support of the Directorate of Education of the Delhi government, Pratham Education Foundation, and Ashoka University, undertakes regular training of teachers of children homes with a focus on the pedagogical approaches for children at various learning levels.

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Recently, the commission undertook a district-wise refresher teacher training on May 26 and 27.

The number of children who can read an advanced story has almost doubled from 13 per cent to 25 per cent, the DCPCR said in a statement, adding that the improvement was witnessed in the last two months.

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"Since March 2022, remarkable improvements in the FLN levels of children have been observed. The percentage of children who can read an advanced story increased from 13 per cent to 25 per cent, the percentage of children who could not read letters dropped from 19 per cent to 12 per cent," said the DCPCR.

Meanwhile, children who cannot identify digits dropped from 13 per cent to 5 per cent and those who can do division rose from 31 per cent to 49 per cent, it added.

The DCPCR, which is the statutory watchdog of the Delhi government on matters of child rights, has initiated a ‘reading campaign' at the 62 CCIs to enhance the foundational literacy and numeracy skills of children.

The campaign is based on the Delhi government's flagship project ‘Mission Buniyaad', which has proven to significantly improve the foundational literacy and numeracy of school children.

In light of the statistics observed across the country which show that 70 per cent of children in class 3 did not have basic reading and arithmetic skills (ASER-2018), this campaign aims to ensure that each child has the required foundational literacy and numeracy skills to progress in life, the DCPCR said.

Children in CCIs have been victims of extreme trauma, including trafficking, sexual violence, parental incarceration, parental death, and child labour among others.

"Given the vulnerabilities the children have faced, this project is of critical significance. The commission aims to continue prioritising their rehabilitation by accelerating the learning outcomes of students in these children homes and by promoting their academic wellbeing," the commission said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)