NOIDA: The
Times Spark campaign, a scholarship under 'Read to Lead' programme aimed at encouraging school students to develop reading habit, hit the right chord with students, school principals said.
"Our children have read articles and opinion pieces in the newspaper, which encouraged them to be holistically aware of their surroundings," said Priya Dhall, principal, Dehradun Public School, Noida.
Apart from helping students become aware of worldly affairs, the activity also infused a reading habit in them. Almost all categories were well appreciated, with a special focus on science, culture and heritage, said Dhall.
The latest scientific discoveries that were front-paged in the newspaper had much appeal for students from Delhi Public School, Ghaziabad. "Students were impressed with the way articles were written and the in-depth research that went into each one of them. The articles taught them a valuable lesson about facts and myths, and how to differentiate between the two," said Jyoti Gupta from the school.
Parents too spoke in support of the campaign. They felt that the reading habit, which was slowly slipping into oblivion, was rekindled through this initiative. Reading, they believe, still has its own merits.
Teachers said the initiative benefited them at many levels. Firstly, it encouraged more conversations to take place between teachers and students, and secondly, the informative write-ups helped them to make their classes more interactive. "Apart from building awareness, this campaign also taught students about making informed decisions," said Anju Sharma, who teaches at Ryan International School. Sharma added that students from her school showed confidence in raising their points during discussions. "They had knowledge as the best back-up, after all," she said.
One of the other aspects that stood out were infographics, which students said encouraged them to look at matters from a new perspective. "The fact that words aren't enough to express news had a huge takeaway. The young minds were taught how they can explore their creative and analytical side through pictorial representations," said Dhall.
Students also found information on the website useful, she added. The Times of India started the
Times Spark (Scholarship Programme for Awareness, Reasoning and Knowledge) initiative to encourage students to examine a series of articles and then take a test on what they have read. The objective of the initiative is to broaden young minds, helping them differentiate between fact and fiction, and to take reading beyond their textbooks.
