Reading drive may have helped 70 per cent of students in Delhi, suggests teacher feedback

The data was to be provided by all schools by Monday, and the final figures will be made public in the coming days.

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During a session at Chunauti 2018. Express photo

Feedback from Delhi government schools after the reading intervention, Chunauti 2018, which ended last week, indicates that about 70 per cent of the children who could not read can now do so, government sources told The Indian Express.

“Teachers started assessment last week and the results have started to come in. From the feedback we have received so far, it seems that more than 70 per cent of the children can read and comprehend what is written in their books,” an official said.

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The data was to be provided by all schools by Monday, and the final figures will be made public in the coming days. A review of the teachers’ assessment is planned for later this week.

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Chunauti 2018 started in August after a government survey showed that 76 per cent of children between classes VI and VIII could not read text from their own books. Students were then divided into groups — of readers and non-readers — based on the findings of the survey. Reading melas and an hour of reading-related activities were set aside every day for the non-readers.

The intervention ended on November 14 and the final results of what it was able to achieve are expected by the end of the month. The third-party assessment will be conducted by students of the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET).

According to a circular sent to schools by the Department of Education, two students from DIET will visit each school and conduct a re-assessment of at least 10 per cent of students in classes VI to VIII. DIET students will then fill an online assessment of students, which will be matched with data provided by school teachers. External assessment of schools where variance between the school teachers’ assessment and the DIET students’ assessment is more than 5 per cent will also be conducted.

The education department is in the process of coming up with separate plans for students who cannot read even after the intervention, and those who have started reading recently.