Campaign to encourage reading among children

Oxford University Press (OUP) India has launched a campaign to foster love of reading among children.

"The REaD campaign is designed to support students, teachers and parents to come together as a community to help children read, engage and develop," an OUP India statement said. OUP India Managing Director Sumanta Datta said the purpose of REaD campaign is to create an enabling ecosystem that supports and encourages young readers. "Our vision is to be a part of the national mission of National Education Policy 2020 and equip learners with reading skills so that they become motivated readers of quality content and thrive in the 21st century as lifelong learners," he said.

Reading allows children to embark on a journey of imagination and creativity, and transport themselves to locations and times that are sometimes beyond the realm of the physical world, he added. OUP India had also conducted a panel discussion on the importance of reading in which educationalists, publishers, animators and writers participated.

These panellists from India and the UK shared their views on the importance of inculcating reading habits at a young age as well as suggestions on enabling students to grow into avid readers. Among those who participated included CBSE director (skill education and training) Biswajit Saha; educationalist-quizmaster Barry O'Brien; Benita Sen, director (primary literacy) at OUP UK Andrea Quincey; and Mallika Ghosh, associate director (products) at OUP India.

Quincey said like any habit, reading also has to be slowly and consistently introduced into a child's routine, as an exciting hobby and not a chore, adding the REaD campaign aims to help parents, teachers and students develop these good reading habits to unlock every child's true potential. Through this campaign, OUP will try to empower the community of young readers with sharp comprehension abilities as well as sustainable reading and writing skills by encouraging the use of both printed materials and digital tools that can reinforce literacy skills and increase engagement.