Telangana Government uncorks plan to have container libraries in schools

Rangareddy: In order to bring the rural children closer to books with variety of subjects to increase their horizon of knowledge and to stimulate reading habits among the rural youth, the Zilla Grandhalaya Samstha Rangareddy is embarking on introducing 'Container Libraries' in high schools under Rangareddy District on pilot basis from next month.

These libraries will be set up in schools where the sufficient space or accommodations are not available for setting up separate libraries. To begin with, the Koukuntla village in the district, which is also a native place of Minister for Education P.Sabitha Indra Reddy, has been selected to launch the program on pilot basis.

Considering the libraries as trajectories of knowledge, the Minister of Education P.Sabitha Indra Reddy went into huddle with the officials to plan setting up 'container libraries' in High Schools of Rangareddy District and have selected 100 schools where no such facilities are available. This program is scheduled to kick start from July next month and initially the first such container library would be set up in a high school at Koukuntla village on pilot basis.

"At Rangareddy level around 100 high schools have been selected by the district level committee headed by DEOs for setting up of 'container libraries' to facilitate students to read books of variety of subjects that may help them improve their horizon of knowledge with regular reading habit," informed Manoj Kumar, Secretary Incharge Zilla Grandhalaya Samstha Rangareddy.

"These container libraries would have proper chairing arrangements inside the carrier to help students read books as per their interest conveniently," he said, adding that "Presently the container is getting ready and the program would begin from July next month." "After initial assessment and formative evaluations, the program will be extended to other areas in a similar way," he asserted.

As far as the libraries are concerned, he said, "There are a total 24 branch libraries and five village libraries spread throughout Rangareddy District with one main operational building dubbed as 'District Central Library' located in Saroornagar Mandal with a full-fledged administrative block."

Out of 24 mandals in the district, only Manchal, Rajendranagar, Serilingampally and Saroornagar mandals are having branch and village libraries together while all the other mandals are having only branch libraries. The district library headquarter approves setting up of libraries as per the requirement and on the basis of requests made by the locals.

However, the secretary said, soon after the curving out of 33 new districts in the state the state government planned to shift the District Central Library from Saroornagar to an extremely specious and a herculean ground plus two floor structure in Badangpet village under newly formed Badangpet Municipal Corporation.

"The Telangana State Education Welfare Infrastructure Development Corporation (TSEWIDC) is constructing the District Central Library building at Badangpet with an outlay of Rs.4 crores. The mammoth building of Zillas Grandhayala Samstha will have six different sections under a single room that include General Section, Reference Section, Children Section, Women's section, Internet enabled computer section and paper section besides district administrative wing," he elaborated.