Newspapers to Resonate in School Prayer Assemblies; Children to Shift from Mobile Phones to the Path of Knowledge

Reading newspapers daily, learning new words, and discussing current events will now be mandatory in schools, so that children can move away from mobile phones and reconnect with their studies. Let's find out what this is all about...

If you now see children reading newspapers instead of books and sharing news during the morning prayer assembly in any school, there's no need to be surprised. This change is not a coincidence, but part of a new and important initiative by the Uttar Pradesh government. This initiative aims to reconnect children, who are increasingly engrossed in mobile phones and screens, with their studies, critical thinking, and society.

The Secondary and Basic Education Department has decided to make newspapers a part of daily learning in schools to cultivate reading habits among students. In this regard, the Additional Chief Secretary of the department, Parthasarathi Sen Sharma, has issued clear instructions to all District School Inspectors, District Basic Education Officers, and Divisional Education Directors. According to these instructions, reading newspapers daily, discussing them, and keeping clippings of important news will now be mandatory in schools.

Under this new system, children will read out the main news from the newspaper during the prayer assembly and also explain the meaning of five new words every day. This will improve the children's language skills and give them an opportunity to learn the correct usage of words. The Education Department believes that reading newspapers will not only increase children's interest in reading but also strengthen their general knowledge.

Screen Time is Constantly Increasing

The government order states that children's screen time is constantly increasing today. Spending more time on mobile phones and other digital devices is reducing their interest in books. This is also affecting their concentration, thinking ability, and emotional intelligence. Keeping this in mind, the decision to regularly incorporate newspapers into the school curriculum has been taken.

Reading newspapers will provide children with information about national and international news. News related to subjects like science, culture, history, sports, and the environment will broaden their perspective. Along with this, inspiring stories published in newspapers will encourage children to move forward in a positive direction. Hindi and English Newspapers to be Provided

The government has also decided that all schools from classes six to twelve will be provided with newspapers in both Hindi and English. This will give students the opportunity to develop their understanding and expression in both languages. A strong command of language will also enable children to perform better in debates, speeches, and discussions.

Under this initiative, a group discussion on an editorial article will be conducted in the classroom one day a week. Students will share their views on the topic and learn to listen to others. This will boost their confidence and improve their communication skills.

Other Activities to be Organized

In addition, short quizzes based on Sudoku, crosswords, and other puzzles published in the newspaper will be conducted in the classroom on Saturdays or one day of the week. This will strengthen children's thinking and comprehension skills and make learning more engaging.

Students from classes six to eight will be encouraged to create scrapbooks using news clippings related to science, environment, and sports. This activity will foster creativity in children and teach them to read news carefully.