Book Reading Clubs launched in government schools

Visakhapatnam: In a bid to encourage students to frequent libraries, pick up a book, possess reading skills and make the process of reading a joyful experience, the School Education Department has come up with the concept of Book Reading Clubs.

The initiative aims at motivating the students to visit libraries once a week where they can read books, share stories and also write about them. A total of 150 government high schools and Zilla Parishad high schools across the district will have such clubs in the first phase of the endeavour.

Depending on the response, more clubs would be added to the list. The advent of the digital era has certainly left an impact on book-reading culture among the younger generation.

To undo this damage, the education department has not only taken steps to strengthen existing libraries with improved collection of books but also plans to utilise leisure period to help children flip through the pages of interesting tales.

At present, the District Educational Officer says, there are about 290 high schools and ZP high schools in the district and one period a week is dedicated to the club for reading at the library. "Of the 290, 150 schools have a library facility.

The rest of the institutions will run the clubs through sharing and lending books. Making use of the Samagra Shiksha's grant, school libraries will be strengthened further. The idea is to develop a deep love for reading books among students and motivate them to make reading an integral part of their life," says B. Lingeswara Reddy, District Educational Officer, Visakhapatnam.

To make the library period more fascinating, students are asked to share a story they have read with other children or write about the book they read. Communities, philanthropists and volunteers will be roped in to share and lend books to schools.

"A register is readied to track the number of students frequenting the libraries and reading corners are facilitated in the institutions that do not have libraries," says N. Prem Kumar, Deputy DEO (Urban). While students from Classes VI to X form a part of the club, teachers will monitor the weekly club activities and devise plans to improve them further.