CHENNAI: CM MK Stalin on Wednesday released three books by the school education department — Oonjal (for students in classes 4 and 5); Thenchittu (for classes 6 to 9); and Kanavu Aasiriyar (for teachers). This has been done to inculcate reading habit among students and help them understand society and the world better, said officers from the school education department.
While Oonjal and Thenchittu will be brought out fortnightly, Kanavu Aasiriyar will be a monthly magazine. The magazines for students will contain interesting information and short stories. Kanavu Aasiriyar will have contributions from teachers across TN like special articles, and their experiences in the classrooms.
The school education department has also asked the teachers to ensure that the students read magazines and other books for at least 20 minutes daily. “Following the two-year lockdown due to Covid-19, there is a slump in reading habit among students. Many also struggle to read fluently. This initiative will help them. As we are getting several complaints that students are spending more time on mobile phones, we have been asked to encourage students to read books at home,” said a schoolteacher.
TN government also announced that September 11, the birthday of poet Bharathiyar, would be observed as Mahakavi Day from this year onwards and poetry competitions would be held for school and college students. This year, two students P Praveen from Ammapet Boys Higher Secondary School in Salem and R Shiny from Holy Cross Girls Higher Secondary School in Thuthukudi were given Bharathi Youth Poet award, which carried a purse of Rs 1 lakh.