On March 6, 2019, Google launched Bolo, a speech-based tutor app aimed at helping children in India learn to read. Available in Hindi and English, the free app features an animated character, Diya, who interacts with children as they learn to read using games and stories.
Bolo, which means “speak” in Hindi, was piloted with 1500 children across 200 villages in the Unnao District of Uttar Pradesh. Pratham’s ASER Centre collaborated on the project, evaluating the participants’ reading levels throughout the 90- day study using its signature assessment tool, which consists of five levels—beginner, letters, words, sentences, and stories. Early results are very encouraging, with 64% of children showing an improvement in reading proficiency in just three