In a significant move to enhance learning, the Rajasthan School Education Department has issued a directive making newspaper reading a compulsory daily activity for students across all government schools. The order, released on Wednesday, mandates a dedicated 10-minute slot during the morning assembly for this purpose.
A Daily Dose of News and Vocabulary
The initiative is designed with a dual focus: keeping students informed and enriching their language skills. Every day, five new words will be selected from the newspapers and explained to the students during the assembly, aiming to systematically improve their vocabulary. Officials stated that the primary goals are to ensure students are aware of national, international, and sports events while simultaneously cultivating a strong reading habit from a young age.
Logistics and Implementation
The department has laid out specific instructions for the execution of this program. Every government senior secondary school and government English-medium school must subscribe to a minimum of two newspapers – one in English and one in Hindi. Similarly, government upper primary schools are required to subscribe to at least two Hindi newspapers.
The order elaborates on the process: "During the morning assembly, one national-level newspaper in English and one in Hindi should be read aloud. Students should be divided into class-wise groups, and they should be made to read the main editorials and major news events related to national, international, and sports news."
Student Preparation and Broader Benefits
To ensure smooth delivery, students assigned to read the news on a particular day are required to arrive at school 30 minutes before the official start time to prepare. Krishna Kunal, the secretary for school education, emphasized the multifaceted benefits of this initiative.
"This initiative will not only improve students' general knowledge, vocabulary, and social awareness but also prepare them for competitive exams," said Kunal. "Our aim is to encourage students to read as much as possible, and newspapers are one of the best ways to do this. If a child reads, then automatically their comprehension and attention skills will improve."
The order further instructs schools to conduct newspaper reading, spelling, and dictation exercises during the first two periods of the day. The necessary funds for procuring newspapers in government schools will be provided by the Rajasthan School Education Council in Jaipur.
This directive from Rajasthan follows a similar order issued by the Uttar Pradesh government just a week prior, indicating a growing trend of integrating current affairs and newspaper-based learning into the daily school routine across states.
