Andhra launches campaign to promote reading skills in students

The 'We Love Reading' program is based on a report which highlighted that 78% of class 3 and 52% of class 5 students are unable to read class 2 books.
Classroom during Covid19
Classroom during Covid19
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Adding another dimension to several attempts to reform school education, the Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday launched a campaign called 'We Love Reading' to inculcate the habit of reading in school students. Education Minister Adimulapu Suresh launched the ‘We Love Reading' campaign at Venkateswara Vignana Mandiram in Guntur. He said the year-long campaign will be spread over four phases: preparatory, foundation, advanced and valedictory, aimed at improving the reading skills of students from classes 3 to 9. 

'We Love Reading' wants to transform non-readers into readers, developing foundational literacy skills, both conceptual and skill-based knowledge among the targeted bracket of students.

"Advanced skills include phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, reading fluency and vocabulary among others. Awareness will be created on using e-books and digital libraries wherever infrastructure is available," said an official.

Activities as part of the campaign include classroom reading, school book bank, community reading centre and reading fests among others. Two classes will be dedicated to encourage reading in students, one for Telugu and another for English.

"As part of classroom reading, a reading corner with all the available library books and reading cards will be made available in each classroom. Similarly, under school book banks, books of all kinds will be collected from teachers, students and even donors for reading," the official said.

The reading programme also involves a community reading volunteer, who will be identified with the help of teachers and ward volunteers to further the campaign after school hours and during holidays to run the community reading centre.

In addition to these, monthly reading fests will be conducted at the village or school level to exhibit reading skills by students and to assess their achievement of learning outcomes.

'We Love Reading' will be monitored from the state level to village level, including a state action plan and headmasters preparing school-wise action plans for effective implementation.

"The school education department will be designing various reading activities in the reading programme by providing world class literature and research studies on content and pedagogy, teaching methods and assessment procedures," said the official.

The campaign is a result of the annual status of education report (ASER) report which highlighted that 78% of third standard and 52% of fifth standard students are unable to read second class books.

State Home Minister Mekathoti Sucharita urged students to develop the habit of reading books, newspapers on a daily basis to gain knowledge and thereby build their personality. "Government prioritised the education sector and implemented various welfare schemes like Amma Vodi, Vidya Kanuka, Vasati Deevena, Vidya Deevena, and is also bringing a new vibe to the government schools through Nadu-nedu," said Sucharita.

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