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Subtitling TV songs for mass literacy |
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Score
68%
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52 votes,
Feasibility
68%
Originality
70%
Humour
50% |
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Same Language Subtitling (SLS) of film songs is an extremely simple and ridiculously economical concept that capitalises on the powerful conjunction of music and television to infuse everyday entertainment with reading practice. In Same Language Subtitling, the lyrics of film songs shown on television appear as subtitles in the same language as the audio.
This simplest of additions to popularly watched song programmes in every state and every language, could contribute to colossal gains in the literacy levels of millions of Indians. Literacy levels of millions of those whom we consider literate are abysmally low presently. Yet television increasingly commands an overwhelming share of media presence in an average Indian household. The dominance of television is matched in programming only by the insatiable appetite for film-based entertainment.
Gujarat Experience
Same Language Subtitling is more than just an idea with potential. Gujarat is the first and only state where it has become a reality, thanks to the efforts of three collaborating institutions in Ahmedabad - the Indian Institute of Management (Ravi J. Matthai Centre for Educational Innovation or RJMCEI), ISRO (Development and Educational Communication Unit or DECU) and Doordarshan Kendra (State TV for Gujarat).
'The subtitled words change colour to exactly match the audio'
Since May 1999, the weekly telecasts of 'Chitrageet' - a programme of Gujarati film songs - are being subtitled in Gujarati. The subtitled words change colour to exactly match the audio, making it easy for neo-literates to follow along with the song. Over two thousand postcards received from literate and neo-literate viewers alike have almost unanimously been in favour of subtitling. Generally, people enjoy Same Language Subtitling because it helps them to sing along, to get to know the song lyrics, even to write down parts of the song. Due to the complementary effect of sound and subtitles, many claim to 'hear' the songs better. "A partially deaf member in my family started dancing while watching this programme," wrote Rameshbhai Naik, a painter from Kadi village in Mehsana district.
The power of Same Language Subtitling lies in the fact that it is covertly educational. On the surface it enhances the entertainment value of popular song programmes and simultaneously makes reading practice an incidental, automatic and subconscious process. Same Language Subtitling weaves lifelong literacy transactions in a home environment at a ridiculously low cost per person, compared with what the National Literacy Mission and individual states are spending on Post-Literacy.
Currently in Gujarat the combined centre and state expenditure is approximately two US dollars per neo-literate per annum. Less than 5 per cent of the neo-literate population is covered. With Same Language Subtitling of one weekly episode of Chitrageet, at least 25 per cent of the neo-literates (3.5 million persons) can get 30 minutes of reading practice per week for one year. For Gujarat, the yearly cost of Same Language Subtitling per person comes to only 0.0066 US$.
The economics of Same Language Subtitling become even more attractive in states with larger populations. In the Hindi belt (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh), which accounts for almost half the country's illiterates and neo-literates, Same Language Subtitling of one weekly episode of Chitrahaar would give weekly reading practice to over 120 million neo-literates at a lowly 0.0001 US$ per person per annum.
Same Language Subtitling's presence in everyday television viewing makes it a lifelong strategy of regular and incremental impact on the reading skills of millions and it becomes so without compromising entertainment.
Same Language Subtitling: popular and effective
Indications of the enormous potential of Same Language Subtitling for promoting state and national reading skill improvement were obtained from a sustained three-month experiment with children in a government primary school in Ahmedabad. Reading improvement was measured and found to be greater among children who saw subtitled song programmes as against those who saw the same programmes without subtitles.
The target viewership of Same Language Subtitling on television is broad. It includes school-going children who can get out-of-school reinforcement, school drop-outs who can relearn eroded skills and millions of adults who enthusiastically pick up basic skills under the literacy campaigns but have had few opportunities or perhaps have lacked personal motivation to engage in regular practice. A major advantage of Same Language Subtitling is that it invites reading without depending on personal motivation for literacy practice.
'Same Language Subtitling is dependent on an interest in film songs - and here the passion of one billion Indians is unquestionable'
If Same Language Subtitling is dependent on anything, it is on an interest in film songs - and here the passion of one billion Indians is unquestionable. Now it is up to media and education policy makers in different states and at the centre, to allow this simple and low-cost tool to succeed.
Same Language Subtitling can use the idiot box to improve the quality of life of millions of neo-literates.
Brij Kothari, Professor, Indian Institute of Management, Ravi J. Matthai Centre for Educational Innovation, Wing 14, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad-380015, Gujarat, India (tel 91 79 6307241, extn. 4938; fax: 91 79 6306896; e-mail: brij@iimahd.ernet.in and brijkot@hotmail.com).
This scheme won the year 2000 Social Innovations Award in the Education category. The following is adapted from an e-mail to the Global Ideas Bank.
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