A book-reading experiment

A unique experiment in Navsari district of Gujarat exposes thousands of children to the joy of reading and produces dramatic results.

ON a visit to a residential school in Junagadh, I recall sitting with the students late one evening discussing their dreams, achievements, problems and suggestions. Having seen their impressive library earlier in the day, I was curious to know how many had used the library in the previous month. There were a few hands that went up, while the majority of them complained that their tough syllabus, tests and examinations left them with no time to read books. The examination-oriented system has made passing and obtaining good marks an `obsession' for parents, teachers and students. Rather than enhancing and building one's knowledge and achieving clarity of concepts, the `easy prescriptions' used include private tuitions and guide books with recourse to mugging up, cramming, and, even cheating or copying in the examinations.

Speaking with teachers from various schools evoked a similar response. Most teachers sacrificed the `joy of reading' at the altar of `examinations'. In fact, there were teachers who confessed to reading only textbooks and guidebooks for a long time now. Not to mention the few that did not read even those!

By and large, reading has come to be treated as a source of amusement or as an interest. In today's world where documented knowledge/information is growing at a mind-boggling pace (rather exploding), it is imperative that we inculcate the reading habit in students so that they could stay at the cutting edge of their professions. A good reading habit always helps in improving comprehension and analytical skills. Increased comprehension leads to better expression. All this put together, increases the confidence-level of the person and enhances the necessary skills to cope with life.

Soon after this incident, I was in Palitana, a pilgrimage centre for Jains, where 300 resource persons had gathered for a three-day workshop as part of the Karmayogi programme introduced by the Department of Education, Government of Gujarat. Here, R.T. Desai of Navsari, a district in south Gujarat, spoke of a unique book reading experiment where over 10,000 school students of the town read over 30,000 books during a four-month period. This was like divine music to my ears! I made a note of it.

The Navsari experiment kept coming back to my mind. On a recent visit to Navsari, which is incidentally the birthplace of Jamshedji Tata and Dadabhai Naoroji, I decided to learn more about the programme. The Shri Sayaji Vaibhav Public Library is a 105-year-old institution with about 3,500 members and 50,000 books. The library has been organising a talk - `the book of my choice' - every month for the past seven years involving children in a thought-provoking discussion. The library conducted a unique reading contest in the summer of 2002, for which children had to choose books from their school libraries and public libraries. The response was so overwhelming resulting in a sudden and acute scarcity of children's books. The authorities in the Sayaji Library were forced to purchase about 3,000 books overnight!

At a time when one constantly hears about the invasion of television in the lives of young students, encroaching upon their reading habits, it was very encouraging to know that 10,360 students from Class V to Class VIII of 25 schools participated in this `Best Reader Competition'. An elaborate and transparent system of evaluation was put in place to select the top three readers from each class. The evaluation, based on factors like the number of books read, the quality of books, the grasp and understanding of the child, was done by 175 experts. On an average each participant read four books. Interestingly, four children read as many as 135 books and Monil Patel, studying in Standard VIII of the Navsari High School read as many as 216 books! Talking to some parents and students of Navsari, one understood the impact that this event had had on them. Children, who used to demand chocolates, cartoon time on TV and toys, cried for books this time.

Further, to spread the message of reading, a granth yatra or `carnival of books' was organised in the town for two days. Children from different city schools participated in the march carrying a book they read, along with placards and banners. Each school organised a `thought fair' in which leading writers and ardent readers participated and flagged off the rally. "Encouraged by the overwhelming response, we are planning to institutionalise this event and organise it once in two years," says Mahadev Desai, the president of the Sayaji Library. Were he alive, Sayaji Rao Gaekwad, the erstwhile ruler of Baroda state and the founder of the library, would have certainly been proud of this achievement.

I have also come across schools and institutions that do not merely stick to the textbooks and instead, have a reading area, which is strewn with books and multimedia material on various topics. The schools encourage children to use them. They found that the children gradually begin to relish these and eventually develop a lasting love for learning through books. The Amrut Vidyalaya at Kalol is one such institution. This project and activities-oriented method of learning sharpens the ability of students to look and search for information, analyse issues and develop a better understanding.

Reading does not present a diversion from our most serious tasks; instead, it contributes to the fulfilment of those tasks. At a time when it is not rare to see students adopting dubious means and shortcuts to pass their exams, reading skill, if instilled in them, will make them savour and enjoy learning. It will also increase their faith in themselves, their work and their abilities.