Classes to ensure every child can read

NEW DELHI: Government school students, who as per an internal survey could not even read basic texts, will now be trained by special teachers and enrolled in onehour classes to overcome reading difficulties.

The Delhi government is making arrangements to ensure it achieves its promise of making every child possess basic reading abilities before November 14.

A survey conducted by the government found that close to half the students in Class 6 in government-run schools can’t read at all, while only a fourth can read from their Hindi textbooks

or from a Class 2-level English book.

The survey was conducted on 2,01,997 students from 1,011 schools. Early this month, deputy chief minister and education minister Manish Sisodia announced a plan ‘Every Child Can Read’ to ensure every student gains the basic ability to read by November 14

“One hour a day shall be set aside for reading-based activities, and a special teacher shall be assigned for every set of 30 non-readers to provide them with extra support,” a government release said on Sunday.

Officials said that each Saturday, the teacher would be expected to conduct a review of the class’ reading levels using assessment tools designed by State Council Educational Research Training (SCERT).

“Regional directors of education will also hold weekly review meetings, along with the deputy directors of education, heads of schools and mentor teachers, to monitor the progress of the ‘Every Child Can Read’ campaign,” officials said.

In order to engage the parents and the community, school management committees of some schools will also be organising ‘Reading Melas’ where children will come with their parents and participate in fun reading activities in a community area.

The steps are being taken as part of government’s ‘Chunauti 2018’ scheme which aims to check dropout rate of students and improve education quality with special focus on the weaker students to enhance learning levels from classes 6 to 9.