Rajasthan makes daily newspaper reading compulsory in govt schools

The Rajasthan government has introduced a new directive making daily newspaper reading mandatory in all government schools to boost students’ reading habits, vocabulary, and general awareness.

Under a Dec 31 order, students will spend at least 10 minutes reading newspapers during morning assembly.

The initiative is intended to familiarize young learners with current affairs and help them develop skills to understand and analyze news from an early age.

The school education department has instructed senior secondary and English-medium government schools to subscribe to at least two newspapers.

One must be in Hindi and the other in English. Upper primary government schools must provide access to a minimum of two Hindi newspapers.

Subscription costs will be covered by the Rajasthan School Education Council, Jaipur.

Schools have also been asked to select five new words from the newspapers daily and explain their meanings to strengthen language skills.

During assemblies, one national English newspaper and one Hindi newspaper will be read aloud.

Students will be divided by class and encouraged to discuss editorials and major national, international, and sports news.

Officials said the program aims to enhance general knowledge and social awareness and prepare students for competitive exams.

The move follows a similar directive recently issued by the Uttar Pradesh government for its schools.