An annual library grant has been provided in all Government schools to inculcate the reading habits among students of all ages and strengthen school libraries in tandem with the activities under Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat. Library aids the student in achieving a successful transition from childhood to adulthood by providing the resources and the environments that will foster intellectual, emotional and social development.
Reading is the primary avenue to all knowledge. It offers access to the information, aspirations and happenings of both the past and the present. Reading aids character formation and widens horizons. Intellectual development is possible only through the cultivation of regular reading habit, hence reading has become one of the most important factors of success.
Numerous academic studies have established that good reading habits improve academic performance. Further it is observed from the National Achievement Survey that schools having a functional library are a very effective factor in promoting better learning. Results suggest that in high achieving States, 91% schools have a library where as in low achieving States 62% schools have a library.
Major features of this component are:
Provision for separate annual library grant ranging from Rs. 5,000 to Rs.20,000/- , covering schools from Primary to Senior Secondary, for purchase of books under Samagra Shiksha.
Major Objectives:
- To enable children to become motivated and independent reader
- To possess sustainable reading and writing skills to achieve age appropriate learning levels
- To associate reading and writing with joyful learning and real life situation
- To develop sustained multilingual capabilities of children
- To recognize social perspective of home- school transition and the role of children's literature in the process of building independent and engaged readers and writers.
Library as a Learning Centre:
The library resources are also to be utilised for facilitating reading as the process of reading with comprehension in the light of Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat (PBBB). Process of reading from early grade to higher secondary levels, requires continuous practice, development and refinement for which library is required to be updated with addition of books, journals, magazines and other reading material from time to time along with increased access to e-resources.
How to make Library functional:
- Schools must devote one period a week to the library reading
- If there is no separate library room, a reading corner may be created so that children can easily access the books. It also provides opportunities for children to read independently as well as engage in group reading activities.
- Library books can be brought into the language class
- For class projects, children can be asked to look up a reference in the library.
- Children can be asked to write about the book they have read that week during the language class
- Children can be asked to share a story they have read with the other children in class.
- During vacation period, school library should be kept open so that children can use the facility.
- Addressing inclusion of the individual needs of all children and being sensitive to the classroom linguistic, social, religious and gender diversity and celebration for unity in diversity.
Developing and displaying print-rich environment
- Student’s name chart and attendance chart to be used by children as a literacy engagement.
- Class responsibility chart, mid-day meal chart, chart of stories, poems etc. to be used by teacher and children.
- Display of children’s writings, drawings, collections, variety of texts, pictures with captions, instructional material developed by teacher etc. (on walls/display boards) at the eye level of children to be changed from time to time.
Positive school social environment
- Provides welcoming, caring and emotionally safe atmosphere, warm pupil teacher relationship
- A non- threatening, non-discriminatory (irrespective of identitygender, religion, caste, race, language, place of birth etc.) nonexclusionary classroom environment.
- Provides communicative spaces for dialogue, openness and sharing by teacher – child and child – child communications.
- Celebrates diversity and sensitive to social differences – background, gender, caste, religion, class, community, and literacy at home.
- Teacher to be sensitive to the children’s natural learning processes, to their home backgrounds, and their individual differences, diversity in classroom while fostering meaningful and purposeful ways of engagement.
- Provides a welcome space for parents and community members in classrooms.
Reading Corners
In primary schools having space constraints, Reading Corners with Children’s Literature can be set up. States and UTs may constitute a committee to select age appropriate books and make guidelines for use of libraries in the school including number of periods to be earmarked as library period and nominating a nodal teacher/staff to facilitate use of the library.Graded Reading Series (e.g. Barkha Series developed by NCERT) for self-reading of children and developing reading skills as whole and children’s magazines are to be made available in the library for facilitating reading for joy and creativity.
The child-friendly components in the light of PBBB, such as Reading and Activity Corner, Poem Corner, Message Boards, Folk Stories, etc. are to be taken into account while including books and other reading material for the library. Bi-lingual story books may be given special priority. With the availability of reading corners children can get into the world of interesting stories, pictures, books and other reading materials.
Teachers Capacity Building
- Understanding of natural learning behavior of children and their home learning environments through experiential methods.
- Progressive reading approach sensitive to the diversity of learners
- Understanding of the processes of reading, learning to read and comprehend and writing in early grades. Pedagogy to address comprehension, oral and written language connection, uses of literacy in everyday life, concepts about print and phonological awareness
- Understanding of developmental phases of reading and writing in early grades
- Using children experiences as resources in literacy learning
- Provision of meaningful reading and writing opportunities.
- Understanding that how the oral/ spoken language lays the foundation for early reading and writing with comprehension development.
- Understanding of children’s reading & writing requirements within and outside the school.
Age-appropriate series of books are to be provided - ‘Bulbul’ for Pre-primary and Primary classes, ‘Mynah’ for Upper Primary and ‘Koel’ for Secondary. Books published by NCERT, SCERT and other Government publications only may be purchased. States and UTs may also obtain copy right from NCERT and print the books in the local language. States/UTs may also develop new children’s books through SCERT including comics and illustrated books for the libraries. Library books under Samagra Shiksha will indicate the year of purchase and name of the school. Each book will have unique number imprinted on the cover page.
Readers Club
States and UTs have also been advised to set up Readers’ Club in schools in a phased manner to promote the habit of reading.Various activities may be organised for promotion of book reading in schools. The schools may follow these activities to further enhance the reading habits amongst children such as reading a story or poem, story-telling session, story writing, preparing a wall magazine, story or poem etc.
Monitoring System
- District and Block Education Officers (& their inspectors), Block Resource Coordinators and Cluster Resource Coordinators should visit every school to see the availability of library books and their utilisation.
- Inspection and third party verification to be conducted regularly to see whether reading corner has been set up in the classroom, and library is functional.
- Make sure that teacher capacity building has been conducted to provide support to teachers in handling the library management and reading corners.
Guidelines for Library Grant and Promoting Reading in Schools
