Rama Rangan receives a MANCH Award for her 'My ESOL Readers' series

Rama Rangan was awarded for her extraordinary contribution to writing, for her My ESOL Readers series.

Ahmed Kazer, visionary curator of some of the UK's most acclaimed festivals, presented the award at the MANCH Film Festival in September 2025. Rama was selected to receive the award by writer and film-maker Shantanu Goswami, who also curated the festival.

Rama says: "I've been teaching ESOL for nearly 15 years at various levels in Warrington and Wales.  I was given a group of students who knew no English. Most of them had never been to school, and could not read or write. Some had run away from homes, many had traumatized backgrounds. So trying to motivate them to learn to read, to be able to recognize words, that was my challenge."