Goa Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to assess reading corners in schools

The Goa Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (GSSA), which had urged primary schools in the state to establish reading corners to encourage the habit of reading, during the academic year 2008-09, has now issued a questionnaire to the schools to assess the ground reality. The Block and Cluster Resource Persons of the GSSA will be monitoring the schools. The criteria to assess will verify the nature of the reading corner, the initiatives taken to encourage the reading habit and if the books are suitable to the needs of primary students.

As per the guidelines, primary schools are required to create a reading corner and to provide the children free access to the books in the reading corner. The schools also have to ensure that the children read a certain number of books in a week and books provided have to contain bold and big letters. The primary schools have also been instructed to display books and change the display often enough to attract students towards picking them up. Schools also have to display wallpapers which are either of readymade material or of material created by students.

The GSSA will also assess whether teachers from the schools involve themselves in promoting the reading corner. Schools will also be asked if the cluster resource persons have taken the feedback from children as they were instructed and the criteria adopted for feedback. The percentage of children that have taken interest in reading as a result of the initiative will also be drawn. The circular for the assessment was issued by the GSSA project director P R Nadkarni on August 31, 2009.