As part of the Tamil Nadu school education department's Vasippu Iyakkam (reading movement), government school students from Classes IV-IX will soon get their classroom libraries with books under four categories, based on the reading level of pupils. The department is in the process of curating the books with the help of children's authors. So far, 53 of them have been readied, stated a report in The New Indian Express.
The scheme will be implemented in one block of 11 districts on a pilot basis in June and will be expanded after three months, said sources.
Nulai, Nada, Oodu and Para
The books have been categorised into nulai (enter), nada (walk), oodu (run) and para (fly). While nulai level books will have pictures with one line of text, those in nada level will have pictures with one paragraph of text. Each book will have a story covering 16 to 17 pages which will be chosen by a creative team. These stories will be rewritten by another team in simple language to suit the reading ability of children.
"We also tested the books by taking feedback from children. Some of them suggested using simpler terms to understand the story better. The scheme aims to improve the reading habit among children. We observed government school children who visit book fairs mostly return empty-handed or with books that are cheaper. Books with good illustrations are costly and they cannot afford those," said a member of the Vasippu Iyakkam team, stated a report in The New Indian Express.
The process
The collection of around 250 books will be ready by the end of the next academic year. Volunteers, including those from the Illam Thedi Kalvi scheme, will act as ambassadors. They will visit the schools once in two weeks, assess the reading level of students, and ensure they continue to read books. The department is also planning to sell these curated books at cheaper prices to benefit the students from aided/private schools, added sources.
