The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a significant initiative to reshape student habits by making newspaper reading a compulsory daily activity in all secondary and basic primary schools across the state. This directive, issued on December 23, 2025, aims to foster a stronger reading culture and directly address concerns over excessive screen time among the youth.
Details of the New Educational Directive
The order, formally released by Additional Chief Secretary (Secondary and Basic Primary Education) Parth Sarathi Sen Sharma, provides a clear framework for implementation. It mandates that a minimum of 10 minutes daily during the morning assembly must be dedicated to this activity. During this period, students will take turns reading out significant editorials and major news developments covering national, international, and sports events.
Schools are instructed to ensure the availability of both Hindi and English newspapers in their libraries. A key component of the initiative is the "word of the day" exercise, where five challenging words from the newspapers will be selected and displayed on school notice boards to systematically enhance students' vocabulary.
Broader Objectives and Supporting Activities
The state education department believes this move will yield multiple benefits. Officials state it is designed to improve general knowledge, vocabulary, critical thinking, concentration, and social awareness. Furthermore, it is expected to better prepare students for competitive examinations and help them develop the discernment needed to identify fake news.
Beyond the daily reading, schools are encouraged to engage students in a variety of related activities to deepen the impact. These include:
- Publishing their own school newspapers or magazines.
- Organizing editorial-based writing competitions and group discussions for students of Classes nine to 12.
- Hosting crossword and Sudoku competitions.
- Promoting scrapbook-making using news cuttings among junior students.
Part of a Larger Reading Campaign
This latest order builds upon a previous state directive issued on November 2, which launched a broader reading campaign. That campaign was introduced to inculcate book-reading habits and curb the overuse of mobile phones and social media. Its measures included granting students access to government district libraries, making it mandatory for them to issue at least one non-syllabus book per week, and offering appreciation certificates to avid readers.
A notable component of the earlier campaign is the "No Bouquet, Only Book" initiative, where books are to be gifted instead of trophies or bouquets at school functions. Both orders have been circulated to all divisional education officials, district inspectors of schools, and basic education officers, with strict instructions to ensure complete implementation statewide.
The Uttar Pradesh government's concerted effort signals a strategic push to balance traditional learning tools with the challenges of the digital age, aiming to create a more informed and critically engaged student population.
