Learning to Read, An opportunity to create reading habits among children in elementary schools

Himachal Pradesh is the leading state among the hilly state in India in almost all fields of development. In education the state has achieved many awards to implement the national programme with right vision. The voluntary organization is also contributing a lot in this sector. Himachal Pradesh Voluntary Helath Association (HPVHA) a state chapter of  Voluntary Health Association fo India (VHAI) is implementing many types of activites in the state with the direct presence in about 8 districts. HPVHA has signed an MoU with Room to Read Trust to establish the primary school libraries in governement primary schools in September 2006. Since the organisation has established about 150 Reading Rooms in four educational blocks (Shimla, Suni, Nerwa and Kupvi) of shimla district out these two are known as the most rural blocks (Kupvi and Nerwa) in accessibility about 150 to 200 KM far from Shimla City. HPVHA is implementing this programme with the financial support form Room to Read India Trust an USA based International civil society organization with the name Learning to Read Programme. The programme is being providing library facility to the children of  6 to 14 eyars of age. The objective of the programme is to develop reading habits in the early years of schooling, to develop confidence among the children by encouraging creative rading/writting, to encourage and develop reading with fluency to bridge word recognition and comprehension, to develop systematic performace/tools to address the problem of developing reading skills among children, to create enabling environment to develop children literature on the bases of their written work, to reduce dropout rate in the school and to work toward the sustainability of the Reading Rooms in all the schools. HPVHA is implementing this programme by providing books received from Room to Read India and appointed a volunteer for two schools who visits these schools on the atlertnate days. These volunteers are trained to facilitate these children with play way methode and providing books to them. The books issued record is being maintained by the voluteers at every schools. Each special day is being celebrated in these Reading Rooms by sharing the information of the day with children. The community member are also issuing books for their reading and are involving themselves by monitoring the activities. The school children are taking good interest in these books.