‘Buniyaad’ to enhance reading skills of students

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 19

To enhance quality of education imparted in schools of the capital, the government has taken on board the local bodies, including the municipal corporations (MCDs), to implement “Mission Buniyaad”, a new programme announced today for improving learning levels of children studying both in government-run and municipal schools.

Basically, an extension of the AAP government’s “Chunauti” scheme, the programme will assess the readability of kids of class III to V in MCD schools and VI to VIII of Delhi government schools during April to June.

Announcing the programme, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, appealed to parents in the city to cancel their vacations this year so that their children do not miss the remedial classes to be held over the three months before the next academic session.

Pointing out at the recent National Achievement Survey (NAS), Sisodia said the entire country, including Delhi, has a crisis of learning at school level and nearly half of all children in the country were unable to read grade level textbooks.

In this context, various programmes initiated by the Delhi government in secondary schools have improved reading ability by about 20 per cent, he said.

Children studying at MCD-run primary schools are not able to read and thereafter they find it difficult to cope with the advanced levels at the higher classes in the government schools.

“We have already discussed the issue with the local bodies. All municipal bodies are on board and officials of the Education Department of the government will train mentor teachers in primary schools in February and March. The MCDs will thereafter raise a cadre of teachers who will drive the programme in a manner similar to the mentor teacher programme run in Delhi government schools,” said Sisodia.

Thereafter, one teacher will supervise the programme of five schools and will go on to train teachers of these five schools on improving basic reading skills and basic learning of children. All officials of the Education Department will run the campaign in “mission” mode for three months from April to June, said the Deputy CM.

For the programme, the government has already held two rounds of meetings chaired by the Education Minister with MCDs, the Delhi Cantonment Board and NDMC.

"In days to come, children will undergo a reading level assessment based on which they will be enrolled in specialised Mission Buniyaad classes in their schools. I appeal to parents of children who are not able to read to cancel their vacation plans during summer holidays for the future of their kids.”