CBSE Reading Mission and Initiatives 2024-25

CBSE Reading Mission and Initiatives 2024-25

CBSE/ACAD/JS(Dr.SG)2024

Date: 19.03.2024
Circular No: Acad-25/2024

All the Heads of Schools affiliated to CBSE

Subject: CBSE Reading Mission and Initiatives 2024-25-reg.

Dear Principal,

Reading is a fundamental skill that serves as the cornerstone of education and personal development. According to the National Achievement Survey, proficient reading skills correlate directly with academic success across subjects. This report further emphasises the critical role of reading; by highlighting that a significant percentage of students in India lack basic reading proficiency, hindering their overall learning outcomes. Reading not only enhances mental abilities but also promotes empathy, critical thinking and a broader understanding of the world. The National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020, also emphasizes providing access to high-quality children’s literature to cultivate a reading culture across the country. These reports underscore the urgency of prioritizing and improving reading skills to ensure a literate and knowledgeable society, laying the foundation for future academic and professional achievements.

In line, with the recommendations of NEP 2020, the CBSE Reading Mission was launched on September 20, 2021, with the primary objective of fostering a strong culture of reading in all the affiliated schools nationwide. By incorporating these initiatives, CBSE aims to instil a lifelong love for reading and equip students with essential literacy skills for their academic and personal growth.

The following are some of the key activities made available under the CBSE Reading Mission for all CBSE-affiliated schools:

1) Observance of National Reading Day and Reading Week- This is celebrated every year on 19th June to honour the legacy of the late P.N. Panicker, the father of the Library Movement. The Board encourages the schools to participate in this initiative to promote reading habits among students through a range of engaging activities.

Furthermore, to promote reading amongst the students, the Board is planning to attempt the Guinness World Record for “the most children reading at one time” on 19th June 2024. This activity will be done on the CBSE online technology platform “CBSE Reading App”.

This app is thoughtfully curated to align with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP), focusing on nurturing higher-order skills such as creativity, critical thinking, problem- solving, visualization and idea generation. The app contains the reading material from classes Nursery to Grade VIII in Hindi and English.

Steps to Download and Access the CBSE Reading App:

• 1. Go to your device’s App Store or Play Store.
• 2. Search for “CBSE Reading App by Freadom” in the search bar.
• 3. Install the app on your device.
• 4. Once the installation is complete, open the app.
• 5. Click on the ‘Get Started’ button to create your account or log in if you already have one.

It is envisaged that, the students shall simultaneously log into the CBSE Reading App to endorse the habit of reading and “promote awareness among leaders about importance of reading”. The date and time shall be informed later. The students shall be given certificates of participation.

As a preparation to the celebration of the Reading Day, the Board will be organizing online/ offline workshops on the “Science of Reading” for the CBSE-affiliated school Principals and Teachers during March-June 2024. These events are aimed towards sensitising and orient “Reading” amongst the teaching fraternity.

The details of the workshop is mentioned below:

Please note-

• There is no participation fee for attending these workshops.
• The program is open for CBSE-affiliated principals/ teachers.
• The Registration will be done by the participants through the Prashikshan Triveni/Google Form. The registration will be considered on a first come first basis.
• The certificates will be provided to the participants.

2) CBSE Reading Challenge – With a view to harness the reading skills and to showcase the skills and competencies in the Reading and Literacy area, amongst the students of the Board;

the annual, CBSE Reading Challenge for the academic session 2024-25, will be conducted in August 2024.

The CBSE Reading Challenge is an exciting opportunity for students in classes 6th to 10th of CBSE-affiliated schools to enhance their reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.

Benefits:

• a. Reading with comprehension and accuracy.
• b. Constructing meaning by retrieving information, relating text with prior knowledge, and integrating information.
• c. Interpreting information and drawing inferences.
• d. Reflecting and evaluating to judge the quality and credibility of the text.

Mode of Implementation: This activity is conducted in two Rounds. The schools have to register themselves on the CBSE Reading Challenge Online Portal.

• Round I is organized within schools. The registered schools download the question paper and answer key from the portal. The schools then shortlist 02 students from each class for Hindi and English for Round II.
• Round II is conducted in online mode. The shortlisted students log in to the portal on the given dates and time. They download the paper and then fill in responses and submit it again in the portal. The winners are shortlisted based on speed and accuracy.
• To motivate the schools, the Board will give e-certificates to the winners and to the participating students.

3) CBSE Budding Authors Program – The CBSE Budding Authors Program aims to ignite the creative spark within students by encouraging them to explore the art of storytelling. By writing and submitting short stories under this program, students have the exciting opportunity to express their imagination and ideas, with a chance to see their work published, hand-holded and an opportunity to meet renowned story-writers for children. This enriching experience not only hones their writing abilities but also nurtures their confidence and self-expression.

For this activity, the registration will start in April 2024 followed by online webinars on the “Technique of writing stories” during summer vacations. The students will write and submit their stories on the technology platform from July 2024.

The program welcomes submissions in both Hindi and English, and students can participate in one of the following three categories:

•  Category I: classes 5-6
• Category II: classes 7-8
• Category III: classes 9-10

Benefits: While the key competency of reading is the foundation of learning, the skill of writing empowers the learners through a process of critical and creative thinking, comprehending thoughts and sharing them with others.

Through, this programme the learners will get an opportunity to-

• engage with experts through webinars on the art of story writing.
• learn and hone the skills of creating, writing and illustrating short stories
• publish stories on the CBSE platform; and
• as a token of appreciation for their efforts, the students shall be provided with a certificate of participation and to the final selected story writers.

Mode of Implementation: This activity is conducted online through the CBSE Academic Website under Reading Mission Tab:

• Release of the circular on the CBSE Academic website in April 2024.
• Orientation workshop – Mentoring workshops will be conducted online for the students by renowned authors to improve their writing skills which will be open to the CBSE affiliated schools during their summer vacations.
• Registration and Submission – The students shall write their stories during summer vacations and the schools will register their students on the CBSE Budding Authors Portal. The registered students will be provided with a unique ID and passwords which they will use for submitting their stories on the CBSE Reading App.
• Shortlisting of stories – The initial screening of the entries will be done through AI engine. The initially screened stories will be further scrutinised by the panel of expert’s for final selection.
• Mentoring workshops – The writers of shortlisted stories shall be hand-holded by the renowned authors for further honing their witting skills.
• Publication – The selected stories will be published by CBSE.
• Certification – The Board will give the e-certificates to the participating and winning students.

It is again reiterated that, all of the above activities are conducted by the Board and the School heads and the language teachers are to note them and disseminate this information amongst their students for their benefit.

School heads are also requested to visit the CBSE Academic website for the detailed guidelines and timelines of the above activities. For more support and queries related to the programs, Principals/teachers can reach out to [email protected].

With Best Wishes.

Dr. Joseph Emmanuel
Director (Academics)

Copy to the respective Heads of Directorates, Organizations and Institutions as indicated below with a request to disseminate the information to all the schools under their jurisdiction:

1. The Commissioner, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, 18 Institutional Area, Shaheed Jeet Singh Marg, New Delhi-16
2. The Commissioner, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, B-15, Sector-62, Institutional Area, Noida-201309
3. The Secretary, Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS), Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India.
4. The Secretary, Sainik Schools Society, Room No. 101, D-1 Wing, Sena Bhawan, NewDelhi- 110001.
5. The Chairman, Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya Sangathan, N-1/9, Near Doordarshan Kendra, PO Sainik School Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar, Odhisha-751005.
6. The Director of Education, Directorate of Education, Govt. of NCT of Delhi, OldSecretariat, Delhi-110 054
7. The Director of Public Instructions (Schools), Union Territory Secretariat, Sector 9, Chandigarh-160017
8. The Director of Education, Govt. of Sikkim, Gangtok, Sikkim –737101
9. The Director of School Education, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh, Itanagar –791 111
10. The Director of Education, Govt. of A&N Islands, Port Blair – 744101
11. The Director of Education, S.I.E., CBSE Cell, VIP Road, Junglee Ghat, P.O. 744103,A&N Island
12. The Director, Central Tibetan School Administration, ESSESS Plaza, CommunityCentre, Sector -3, Rohini, Delhi
13. The Additional Director General of Army Education, A –Wing, Sena Bhawan, DHQ, PO,New Delhi-110001
14. The Secretary AWES, Integrated Headquarters of MoD (Army), FDRC Building No. 202, Shankar Vihar (Near APS), Delhi Cantt-110010
15. DS to Chairperson, CBSE
16. All Regional Directors/Regional Officers of CBSE with the request to send this circularto all the Heads of the affiliated schools of the Board in their respective regions
17. Secretary/Controller of Examinations/All Directors, CBSE
18. All Joint Secretary/ Deputy Secretary/ Assistant Secretary/PPS / Analyst, CBSE
19. All Head(s)/ In-Charge(s), Centre of Excellence, CBSE
20. In charge IT Unit with the request to put this Circular on the CBSE Academic Website
21. In-Charge, Library
22. The Head (Media & Public Relations), CBSE
23. Record File

Director (Academics)

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