State colleges asked to initiate reading mission

Gurugram: The higher education department has directed all state universities and colleges to put in place a framework to encourage reading habits among students

Gurugram: The higher education department has directed all state universities and colleges to put in place a framework to encourage reading habits among students and teachers in line with the National Reading Mission 2022.

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In a letter issued to colleges on Monday, the department said that Reading Mission-Haryana had been initiated to inculcate reading habits in students, teachers, and society. “The mission is quite innovative and contemporary since it addresses the lost glory of reading books,” stated the letter.

Under the campaign, colleges have been directed to hold monthly book reading sessions by students, mass reading programmes, and interdisciplinary quizzes, among other steps. The targets envisaged by the department include book review sessions once in a month (second Saturday of the month), and 45 minutes mass reading programme with students, teachers, and principals (fourth Saturday of the month).

Satyamanyu Yadav, principal of Government College in Sector 9, said that the higher education department had directed that specific days in the month be solely dedicated to reading. “Nowadays, we find that the frequency of students going to the library is decreasing. One could blame it on the greater proliferation of electronic media or e-papers, or shorter attention spans, but fewer people are spending time in serious reading. In order to encourage students to read, we will be taking steps that motivate them to dedicate more time to reading through offline mediums,” said Yadav.

Besides setting up specific targets, the department has also asked colleges to undertake other additional activities for popularising reading. Yadav said that the college would first prioritise the effective implementation of the directions issued by the department, following which additional steps would be taken.

Principal of the Dronacharya Government College, Pooja Khullar, said that a meeting with the college’s library committee would take place soon to chart out the next course of action with respect to the reading mission. “We have received directions from the department and a panel will be appointed to set the agenda for carrying out various activities under the campaign. The library committee, along with mentor-mentee (teacher-student) groups will put their heads together to work out the plan of action.”

Khullar said that the college would be taking inputs and working in collaboration with other students to gather more ideas about giving a fillip to the reading mission.