RANCHI: According to officials, students at Jharkhand’s government elementary schools will soon have access to kid-friendly libraries where they may find books that interest them. This would encourage them to read more and improve their ability to learn. Around collaboration with a non-profit organisation that promotes females’ education and children’s literacy, the Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) has already piloted 50 of these beautifully furnished libraries with low-height chairs and tables in the state.
The state education administration has been concerned about the reading and learning abilities of primary students. According to a review of the Annual Status of Education Report, pupil reading proficiency decreased between 2008 and 2018. Notably, only 29.4% of students in Jharkhand’s government schools in Class 5 were able to read a textbook with a Class 2 reading level in 2018, down from 51.9% in 2008, according to an ASER assessment.
In order to determine whether or not children in rural India are enrolled in school and whether they are learning, the ASER is a citizen-led household survey. “With regard to the library project, we have partnered with “Room to Read.” The organisation is establishing libraries and giving the government free study materials. If the initiative is successful, a comprehensive plan would be put in place to expand it on a large scale, “Kiran Kumari Pasi, the director of JEPC, said PTI.
These libraries aim to instil reading skills and the habit of reading from curricula in pupils in Classes 1 through 5, according to the speaker. “The organisation has offered pictorial books and other study materials — according to the level of students — which we find are appealing students,” Ms. Pasi said. One such library was established at Government Middle School, Kantatoli, in Ranchi city a month ago, and the official claimed that it has since become a fun area for the school’s elementary children.
They eagerly anticipate the library period so they can check out their specially created picture books. About 160 children in Grades 1 through 5 now receive a daily library session thanks to our introduction to the practise. The way the library has been created, arranged, and decorated has made it a popular destination for students. We are observing a shift in the students, even though it is just beginning,” said headmistress Betul Sudharm to PTI. She claimed that now kids are eager to share the tales they have read in the library’s picture books.
There have already been erected 50 kid-friendly libraries, including 30 in Ranchi and 20 in Bokaro districts. “The child-friendly libraries are aimed at generating interest among youngsters for books and developing reading habits among them,” Ranchi District Superintendent of Education Akash Kumar told PTI. The schools that have such facilities put up are producing positive results. Uma Shankar Sharma, the literacy coordinator for “Room to Read,” explained that the group uses short stories, paintings, and posters to encourage pupils to read more. In the libraries, low-height desks and chairs have been installed so that pupils may read comfortably.
