Jaipur: The Rajasthan government has made daily newspaper reading compulsory in all government schools, aiming to strengthen reading habits, expand vocabulary and improve general awareness among students.
As per an order issued on December 31, students will spend at least 10 minutes reading newspapers during the morning assembly every day. The initiative is intended to familiarise students with current affairs and help them develop an early ability to understand and analyse news.
The school education department has directed government senior secondary schools and English-medium schools to subscribe to at least two newspapers — one in Hindi and one in English. Government upper primary schools have been instructed to ensure the availability of a minimum of two Hindi newspapers. The cost of these subscriptions will be borne by the Rajasthan School Education Council, Jaipur.
Under the new guidelines, schools will also identify five new words from newspapers each day and explain their meanings to students to strengthen language and comprehension skills. During morning assemblies, one national-level English newspaper and one Hindi newspaper will be read aloud.
The order further states that students should be grouped class-wise and encouraged to read and discuss editorials along with major national, international and sports-related developments. Officials said the programme is designed to enhance general knowledge, social awareness and critical thinking, while also preparing students for competitive examinations.
The move follows a similar decision by the Uttar Pradesh government last week, which also made newspaper reading mandatory in government schools.
