UP government mandates newspaper reading in schools to boost learning, reduce screen time

New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government has made newspaper reading compulsory for students of state-run basic and secondary schools. The decision has been taken to develop regular reading habits among children, reduce excessive mobile screen time and improve the critical and logical thinking skills.

An order issued on December 23 by Additional Chief Secretary (Basic and Secondary Education) Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma stated that both Hindi and English newspapers should become an essential part of daily school activities. The directive follows an earlier order issued in November that focused on ways to promote a strong reading culture among students.

As per the givernement order, schools need to allocate a 10-minute slot during the morning assembly for newspaper reading. Students on a rotational basis will have to read out key points from editorial articles and major positive news related to national, international and sports events.

Students must use physical newspapers instead of digital formats as reading printed newspapers helps improve focus and concentration along with discouraging excess screen use.

As per TOI report, explaining the intent behind the directive, Sen Sharma stated, 'These are directions as well as advice, to be followed by state-run schools, but others can also follow if they find sense.'

Regular newspaper reading has several benefits as it strengthen students’ general knowledge and understanding of current affairs which is also important for future competitive exams. Moreover, vocabulary, language style and writing skills are also improved through it.

Sen Sharma stated reading diverse perspectives 'develops critical thinking and the ability to distinguish between right and wrong in students, making them aware in the era of fake news.'

Another major benefit mentioned in the order is increased awareness of local community issues, public projects and social developments. This, the order says, helps students understand how local events are connected to national and global issues.

The order also points out that puzzles like Sudoku, crosswords and word games in newspapers train the brain for logical thinking and problem-solving. For students from Classes 6 to 12, schools have been directed to make activities such as maintaining scrapbooks with important news cuttings, participating in weekly discussions on editorials, and analysing news reports mandatory. 

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Schools have also been asked to organise quizzes, crossword puzzles and Sudoku-based activities to improve reasoning ability, concentration and make learning more engaging.