Let children own library: Edu Secy to schools

From now onwards, schools will not decline the request of students to issue them library books for reading at home. Also, the library in-charge will not be held accountable if the child loses or damages the book. These are a few major directions in the guidelines issued to schools.

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According to department officials, nearly all schools in the state have libraries but the books remain mostly unread, gathering dust inside the almirahs.

As per the feedback gathered from the field, the department found that major reason for books remaining unread was the reluctance on the part of library in-charge to issue it to the students due to the fear that he/she would have to pay from own pocket if the book was lost or damaged by the child.

“The focus is on keeping the books safe and in good condition, rather than giving it to the students to read,” Secretary Education Rakesh Kanwar mentioned in the guidelines.

Due to ‘keep the books safe’ approach, most schools are failing to inculcate reading habits among students and are denying young minds the opportunity to delve into the world of books.

Kanwar further mentions that it’s not absolutely necessary to have a separate physical space for a school to run a library. “All one needs is just a few age-specific story books, comics, newspapers, fiction or non-fiction books to run a library,” he stated.

The guidelines further mentions that schools need to hand over the responsibility of running the library to the person who himself likes reading the books. The in-charge could be from the teaching staff, non-teaching staff or even someone from the community who is interested in books. And in case a book is damaged or lost, the library in-charge will just have to attach a certificate in the stock register mentioning the same and no further explanation will be sought from him/her on the matter.

Further, Kanwar has directed that schools should display these books instead of keeping them under lock to encourage children to read. Also, schools have been directed to make active book clubs and organise activities and competitions to further encourage students to read books. “Let the children own the library. That’s how they will read and take care of the books,” said Kanwar in the guidelines.