Karnataka: 21-day 'Reading Campaign' at govt, aided schools

Bengaluru: To develop reading skills among schoolchildren studying in classes 1 to 7, the department of school education has organised a ‘Reading Campaign’ at all government and aided schools for 21 days in two phases.

The first phase started on Tuesday and will be held till September 18. The first phase began with all the students, teachers and officials at the block level taking part in the read-a-thon between 11 am to 11.30 am by reading their favorite book.

In a circular, the department has stated that it has started the campaign considering the importance of books in increasing grasping power and improving the knowledge among students.

However, the department has made it clear that the Reading Campaign should not distract the regular teaching hours. “The Reading activity must be done during morning assembly time or during the first class of the day or during the library hours fixed as per the school time table and should not disturb the regular teaching hours of the school,” the circular stated.

As explained by the officials of the department, during the Reading Campaign, the students will be provided with their age appropriate story books. If there is no reading material available, then the teachers can refer to the materials supplied by the department which are in PDF format.

The teachers have also been asked to take photographs of the activities at their respective schools and post the same on the WhatsApp groups at the local level involving local officials, parents and members of School Development and Monitoring Committees.