Trunk Economics | December 17, 2024
Lost in the Scroll: Why Reading Needs to be a Priority
It is about time we prioritize reading as a life skill, recognizing its importance in shaping the minds of future generations.
A FAMILIAR SYMPHONY OF SOUNDS FILLS the mid-morning air in neighbourhood across India. Children’s voices, reciting alphabets, rhymes, and stories, echo from schools, a reminder of the importance of reading in their academic journey. This daily ritual, though disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, remains crucial in developing reading abilities among children.
Learning to read is a breakthrough moment in a child's life, laying the foundation for future success. Unlike other life skills like swimming or cycling, reading ability is influenced by a complex array of socio-cultural, economic, psychological, and linguistic factors.
Learning to read is a breakthrough moment in a child's life, laying the foundation for future success. Unlike other life skills like swimming or cycling, reading ability is influenced by a complex array of socio-cultural, economic, psychological, and linguistic factors.
In this context, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis on foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) in the New Education Policy (NEP) is a significant step forward. On September 11, 2020, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of oral reading fluency (ORF), setting a
goal for children to read 30-35 correct words per minute by Grade 3 ¹.
This goal is a clarion call for teachers, educationists, policymakers, and civil society practitioners to work together towards achieving universal foundational literacy and numeracy.
The National Education Policy 2020 recognizes the importance of early childhood education, proposing a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure. It restructures school education into four stages: (i) Foundational: 5 years for foundational learning (ii) Preparatory: 3 years for preparatory learning (iii) Middle: 3 years for middle learning; and (iv) Secondary: 4 years for secondary learning, emphasizing the need for a National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis on foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) in the New Education Policy (NEP) is a significant step forward. This goal is a clarion call for teachers, educationists, policymakers, and civil society practitioners to work together towards achieving universal foundational literacy and numeracy.
Addressing Individual Challenges
Every child learns at their own pace, and some may face unique challenges. For example, what if the medium of instruction in school differs from the language spoken at home? Or what if a child lacks access to texts and literature due to affordability? Orthographic tools and age-appropriate literature can help bridge these gaps.
Exposing children to age-appropriate literature can be a game-changer. Such books enhance cognitive, reasoning, and imaginative abilities, helping children relate to the texts. Research shows that with a structured pedagogical approach, children can achieve ORF by the end of Grade 2.
So, what does age-appropriate literature look like? For younger children, books with simple, repetitive text and engaging illustrations can help develop phonological awareness and vocabulary. For older children, books that tackle complex themes and issues can foster critical thinking and empathy. Reading opportunities surround us – from street signs and billboards to menus and instructions.
Simply making books available is not enough. Engagement with books is crucial, and this requires ensuring that good quality literature is accessible to all. The connection between orality and reading is also vital. Oral storytelling traditions can help children develop phonological awareness, vocabulary, and comprehension skills, laying the foundation for lifelong reading habits.
Beyond Book Availability:
Engagement and Quality Matter
Simply making books available is not enough. Engagement with books is crucial, and this requires ensuring that good quality literature is accessible to all. The connection between orality and reading is also vital. Oral storytelling traditions can help children develop phonological awareness, vocabulary, and comprehension skills, laying the foundation for lifelong reading habits.
Treating reading as a life skill is essential for India's future growth and development. By acknowledging the complexity of reading, addressing individual challenges, and harnessing the power of age-appropriate literature, we can empower children to achieve oral reading fluency and succeed in all areas of life.
The sound of children reading aloud is music to our ears, a reminder of the power of education to transform lives. As we move forward as a global economic growth engine, it is about time to prioritize reading as a life skill, recognizing its importance in shaping the minds of future generations.
The sound of children reading aloud is music to our ears, a reminder of the power of education to transform lives. As we move forward as a global economic growth engine, it is about time to prioritize reading as a life skill, recognizing its importance in shaping the minds of future generations.
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