Lucknow, Jan 09: The Uttar Pradesh government has made newspaper reading mandatory in schools in an effort to strengthen reading habits, reduce excessive screen time and improve students’ awareness of current affairs.
The decision follows concerns over growing mobile phone usage among children, particularly after the rise of online education during the COVID-19 period.
Order issued by education department
An official order in this regard was issued on December 23, 2025, by Additional Chief Secretary for Secondary and Basic Education, Parth Sarathi Sen Sharma.
The directive instructs all schools to allocate 10 minutes during the morning assembly exclusively for newspaper reading. Schools have also been asked to ensure the availability of newspapers in libraries to promote regular reading among students.
Focus on news, vocabulary and discussion
As per the guidelines, students will read out key excerpts from editorials, along with major national, international and sports news, on a rotational basis.
To enhance vocabulary, five new and difficult words from newspapers will be selected daily, explained during the assembly and displayed on school notice boards along with motivational quotes.
Student publications encouraged
The order also encourages students to prepare a monthly or quarterly school newspaper or magazine inspired by professional newspaper design and presentation. Students will be involved in editing and reporting school activities and achievements in a news format.
Class-wise activities outlined
For Classes 9 to 12, schools have been directed to organise weekly activities where students write original views on important editorial topics and participate in group discussions.
Students will also be encouraged to discuss local issues and development-related news, and participate in quizzes, sudoku and crossword competitions published in newspapers.
For Classes 6 to 8, students will be motivated to create scrapbooks using newspaper cuttings related to science, environment and sports.
Positive response from educators and parents
Education officials and teachers believe the initiative will help improve comprehension skills, general knowledge and critical thinking. Parents have also welcomed the move, saying newspapers expose children to balanced information and richer language compared to social media platforms.
Also Watch:
Implementation from January 15
Basic Education Officer Vipin Kumar said that the order will be strictly implemented once schools reopen after the winter break on January 15. He added that combining offline reading habits with online learning is essential for the overall intellectual development of students.
