Subhechcha Ganguly 
Your passion for education and literacy is truly inspiring. We admire how you’re using your expertise in Early Childhood Education to make a difference in the lives of both children and adults. Your book sounds amazing, and we appreciate your dedication to helping teachers and promoting the importance of reading.
Here’s a personalized questionnaire for you about the importance of literacy and early childhood education:
- What inspired you to write your book and focus on helping teachers with reading instruction?
Ans : At one point especially post COVID, I found both children and teachers struggling with reading. I realised that teachers were also in a rush to ‘ teach ‘ reading without looking at what comes before and after, and how to look at the many steps involved.
Hence decided to put down what exactly reading entails , putting in my years of experience.
- How do you believe literacy skills impact overall learning and development?
Ans : Language is the back bone of culture. And reading is the key to any learning. Without literacy one cannot really learn in the best way possible and needed . Literacy also is the key to rectify the many ills a society has.
- Can you share any specific challenges you’ve observed in teaching and learning reading, especially in the post-COVID era?
Ans : The one challenge I am seeing is that people whether teachers or parents don’t seem to have patience. Most methods done by teachers are more to see the product and end result than the process. We have forgotten that success lies in a process that is well done. Also , teacher training institutes and teachers themselves are becoming more focused on how quick they can be to either get a certificate or teach. Short cuts have become the order of the day.
- In your opinion, why is early childhood education crucial for a child’s development?
Ans : We all say that a child is the future of our country. But no one realises how important childhood is! Studies have shown that the personality of a child is completed or made in the first five years of life.
The ills that we see today,- rape , patriarchy, gender imbalance , dowry deaths , suicides and so on , all this will be reduced if the people doing it have a better understanding of how to be. And this has to be ingrained as a norm from when the child is young. It has to be embedded in the classroom. Gender neutral roles, teaching children to respect each other , accepting differences in each other is very important. Also abuse of children has to be put to an end. A good Early Childhood program will help tremendously.
- How do you think a strong foundation in literacy and early childhood education can contribute to creating a more empathetic and socially skilled society?
Ans : Literacy opens the doors to many opportunities and to a lot of learning.
Education should be a means to empower children and adults and give them the right tools to overcome various disabilities , challenges and difficulties.
Early childhood education should be one where children are taught to be independent, learn to think well and also learn social skills like respect , patience etc. Most importantly, it should help a child develop self confidence, self esteem and love for oneself. And the understanding that every problem has a solution.
