In a small village in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur district, B. Rejina, a student of the Panchayat Union Primary School, Vellambakkam, flips through her English textbook. She reads aloud the lesson taught the day before, about a goat that goes missing and its journey back home with its shepherd. “I like English, and I like reading. Whenever I get textbooks, I read my English book first. I do not have other storybooks at home, so I keep re-reading it,” Ms. Rejina said.
The only library in her village remains closed. Although it was renovated earlier this year, it has yet to be opened.
Ms. Rejina’s thirst for reading might not be the norm. Globally, parents, teachers, and education activists lament that children no longer read for leisure – and its repercussions have been manifold. “Children now read only for a purpose. With an abundance of information available through pictures and videos, the joy of reading for leisure is declining. This has definitely impacted their vocabulary and communication styles. The appropriate usage of contextual words is no longer being practised, and their grade-level writing proficiency has also suffered,” said Lakshmi Prabha, principal, Prasan Vidya Mandir, Chengalpattu.
Tamil Nadu’s State-level Achievement Survey, whose report was released this year by the State Planning Commission, assessed the learning outcomes of students in Classes 3, 5, and 8. It found that proficiency in English, Math, and Science declined as students advanced to higher grades. Class 8 students in government and government-aided schools scored less than 40% in these subjects. The recent ASER report showed that while the State has made significant progress in reading levels since 2022 – rising from 4.8% to 12% in 2024 – thanks to the State’s intervention through Ennum Ezhuthum, there is still a long way to go.
Where are the libraries?
The Right to Education Act, 2009, in its norms and standards for schools, specifies that each school must have a library that provides newspapers, magazines, and books on all subjects, including storybooks.
A librarian in Chennai said that not many children visit her library, but those who do are very interested in the picture books
| Photo Credit:
R. Ravindran
In government schools in Tamil Nadu, libraries are often not spacious rooms with shelves stacked with books up to the ceiling. If they are lucky, a school might have a dedicated room, but sometimes it is just a large shelf, a cupboard, or even a cardboard box. “We do have a small library room in our government high school, but since we are worried that students might tear the books, we do not allow them inside. We keep it locked,” said a principal of a government school in Ramanathapuram. Schools generally do not have a separate budget to purchase books of interest and rely on the School Education Department to supply books for the library.
There are over 4,640 public libraries in Tamil Nadu and 14 mobile libraries, according to the website of the Directorate of Public Libraries. A library membership in Chennai costs ₹30 per year for a child, ₹60 for an adult, and ₹110 for a family, with a renewal fee of ₹10 every year.
Most children and their parents are not aware of the presence of a government library in their area. S. Sumithra, a resident of Mogappair, Chennai, who runs a small pushcart eatery, said she did not know that libraries were available for people like her. “My son loves to read and keeps reading his textbooks. We used to borrow books from my previous employers because we cannot afford to buy the big picture books; they are expensive. Now that I know a library near my place exists, I will go sometime. But I have to work to make sure I can send my child to school, so I am not sure when I can actually make time to go,” she added.
A librarian at a public library in Chennai said that not many children visit her library, but those who do are very interested in the picture books. These books, however, are not as widely available in Tamil, and the English collection is quite small. She added that there has been an increase in patronage due to greater awareness.
Recognising the need for storybooks for children in child-friendly language, the School Education Department introduced Vaasippu Iyakkam (Reading Movement) in 2023. Child-friendly books in four categories, based on children’s reading levels, are now available in Tamil and English. “The initiative was meant to help students explore books beyond their textbooks. The teacher reads the story to them first, then asks them to read it, and the child explains the story as they progress. They can also take these books home to read,” said a government school teacher.
Manjula, a teacher at a government school in Tiruvottriyur, said that the main idea of Vaasippu Iyakkam was to ensure that students handled books other than their textbooks. “Even if they tear them, the department said it is alright. The books are only given to read during the lunch hour, along with the Education Department magazines Oonjal and Thenchittu. Only when teachers kindle a love for reading will children begin to enjoy school and learning,” she said.
Public libraries often lack sufficient resources – such as picture books, comics, and other novels – for children to continue their reading journey, according to experts
| Photo Credit:
R. Ravindran
Primary school teachers note that while students enjoy the Vaasippu Iyakkam books, they rarely follow up with other books that might interest the children. “Since this is department-mandated, we follow it. We do not even have time to complete our syllabus. How are we going to take them to nearby libraries or suggest other books?’ asked M. Manimegalai, president of the Tamil Nadu Primary Teachers Federation.
Finding joy in reading
Geetha Kannan began introducing books and reading to her daughter when she was just over one year old. She read aloud to her for six or seven months before her child showed interest in looking through the books. “It started out as an activity to keep her occupied while we were working from home. But with encouragement from my friends on the right kind of books for her, we kept at it until she found her own interest,” said the mother of the nine-year-old girl.
The child’s interest, Ms. Geetha found, lay in the connection between cartoons and their book variations. “She really likes Peppa Pig, so when she started seeing those books, she naturally gravitated towards them. We would read aloud to her, and soon she picked it up and would thumb through it herself, staying engrossed for hours,” Ms. Geetha added.
Today, her daughter has become a voracious reader, moving on to chapter books with pictures. She soon began talking about the books to her friends, which helped create more awareness about the kinds of books they could look for. “She now knows many more words and asks about their meanings. She is at an age where she wants answers to many questions, so she reads a lot of narrative non-fiction,” Ms. Geetha said.
Madhumitha S., a Class 8 student of a Corporation School in Chennai, was introduced to English storybooks through a Teach For India (TFI) Fellow at the school. “I would read my textbooks but never really put much thought into any other kind of reading,” she said.
The TFI Fellow initiated a weekly trip to the Anna Centenary Library (ACL) every Saturday morning, where Ms. Madhumitha and her peers could explore the books. “It was so much fun. We would sit and read aloud and then pick our own books. I would ask about new words I did not understand, and we would discuss our favourite parts. I had visited the library twice before, but I had never really explored it,” Ms. Madhumitha said.
Since then, she has consistently made an effort to visit the library every week and read. This time, however, as the TFI fellow had graduated, Ms. Madhumitha, her friends, and her brother decided to visit the library on their own. “It is not as fun. I am not sure which books are suitable for me. There is no one to discuss the books with or guide me. I now refer to a dictionary to learn new, difficult words and ask my teachers when I have doubts,” said Ms. Madhumitha, who is currently reading Three Men in a Boat.
Ms. Geetha, too, echoed Ms. Madhumitha’s concerns about guidance. “My child has visited a library twice. But there is no library at her CBSE school, so there is no one to really guide her in her reading journey or help her take it forward,” she added.
According to the reply to a Right to Information Act (RTI) query posed by The Hindu, at present, government schools in Tamil Nadu have no librarian posts. In government-aided schools, once the designated librarian retires, the post will automatically lapse, the reply stated.
“Schools must step up and set up a proper library,” said Thenkanal Isaimozhi, State co-ordinator of Palli Kalvi Paathukapu Iyakkam. “Children would be more interested if they could experience a library environment, as it would offer more opportunities for storytelling and sharing ideas. Public libraries, too, lack sufficient resources – such as picture books, comics, and other novels – for children to continue their reading journey.”
Chennai-based educationist and former education specialist at United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Aruna Rathnam noted the need to invest in community libraries for larger resources, which foster reading habits through activities for the community. “The schools could also have children read to others,” she added.
A reliable guide
The question, however, remains: who will guide the eager children on their reading path?
At the Chennai Primary School, V. Teynampet, nine-year-old Aaisha Naic demanded that her uncle buy her storybooks for her birthday. She recently discovered the joy of reading through a TFI intervention programme. “I did not read any books two years ago. Now I like reading in English too. I got The Woodcutter and the Angel, The Hare and the Tortoise, and a book on Sir Isaac Newton,” she said.
Anant Kapur, a TFI Fellow, noted that when he first started teaching at the primary school, there was a lot of fear surrounding the English language. “Some students had trouble identifying letters or common words. But once we helped them understand that language is simply a tool for communication, it motivated them to learn and read more. We began with read-aloud sessions,” he added.
Mr. Anant makes sure that they read after the lunch break at least twice a week and always have a storybook in hand. “So if they felt bored, they had a book to turn to instead of a mobile phone or another device. Now, they can hold a conversation on their own in English,” he added.
Gurunath M., a Class 4 student, stressed that if a similar approach was taken with Tamil, and more picture books were available in the language, then Tamil, too, would be so much easier to read and understand. “I read so many books now and tell my parents about it. It also improved my understanding in Science, which is my favourite subject. I want to become a scientist,” he added.
Banupriya Jagadeesan, who runs The Reading Space, a community library in Cuddalore that offers library services to three schools in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, echoed this sentiment. She noted that the easy availability of picture books in English really helps children to read and learn better. “Such picture books, however, are not available as much in Tamil. Because of this, there is not enough demand for them either,” she added.
Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation (TNTESC) Managing Director M. Aarthi said: “The child has to enjoy reading in the Tamil language, and we are working towards that. Apart from VassipuIyyakkam, under the IlanThalirIlakkiyaThittam, we are publishing more children’s picture books in Tamil.”
Pointing out that over 32 lakh copies of 200 children’s titles would be sent to government schools in the State within a month, she added that this would help children advance their reading skills.
A new role
Viji Thiyagarajan, Director, Libraries-South Asia, British Council, points out that the future of libraries lies in the fusion of physical and digital libraries. “It is true that digital distractions compete strongly for children’s attention today. However, our experience shows something encouraging – when reading is introduced to children in ways that feel playful, social, and imaginative, they begin to enjoy it. The key is not to force reading habits but to nurture curiosity and choice from an early age,” she said.
Speaking of recent initiatives in Karnataka, she highlighted how rural libraries in the State have access to British Council events happening anywhere in the world. Recently, the British Council, in partnership with the Karnataka government, installed ‘British Council corners’ in rural public libraries, besides ‘digital library walls’ that give the public free access to its resources.
Janaka Pushpanathan, Director, South India, British Council, also noted that various reading challenges, such as reading a certain number of books in a week, designed to encourage children to read more have seen increased participation. “Further, we also conduct intensive workshops for parents, so they can help take their child’s reading experience forward,” she added.
Pointing out the various ways in which school and public libraries can step up to foster reading habits among children, Shailaja Menon, consultant, education theme, Tata Trusts, said that a wide and varied selection of reading materials must first be made available. “Libraries must have formal and informal reading fora – for parents and teachers too – to share information about children’s books, and the excitement surrounding reading,” she added.
Anna Centenary Library’sChief Librarian S. Kamatchi, however, noted that attracting children to libraries is also an important task. “Parents will be interested, but the child needs various activities and other events to bring them to the library. Once they see the atmosphere in the library – with books all around and people reading – they will enquire about memberships,” she said.
ACL, along these lines, has started various events such as summer camps, storytelling sessions, Korean language classes, robotics classes, and film screenings.
Children’s author and science educator R. ‘Aisha’ Natarajan termed libraries a place of invention. “It is a place made up of ideas. When students get the freedom to roam around and choose their books, it helps nurture them. Today’s libraries are made for research, but they need to be made into a place for discussions,” he further said.
