To promote literacy and reduce screen dependency among students, the Uttar Pradesh government has made daily newspaper reading mandatory across all state-run basic and secondary schools. The new directive seeks to foster a culture of informed reading while curbing mobile addiction among children.
Under the policy, schools are required to set aside at least 10 minutes every morning during assembly for students to read newspapers. The reading sessions will cover national, international, and sports news, as well as key editorial highlights. Both Hindi and English newspapers will be supplied at government expense to strengthen bilingual comprehension and vocabulary development.
To make the activity more engaging, each school must display a “Word of the Day” section featuring five challenging words from the day’s newspaper. Students in Classes 6 to 8 will create scrapbooks using news clippings on science, sports, and environmental topics, while those in Classes 9 to 12 will participate in group discussions and write weekly editorials on social and developmental issues. Weekly contests based on newspaper puzzles—such as Sudoku, crosswords, and quizzes—will further encourage critical and logical thinking.
The initiative forms part of a broader literacy campaign launched statewide in November 2025. Complementary measures include the “No Bouquet, Only Book” policy—encouraging book gifting at official school events—and a rule requiring students to borrow at least one non-syllabus book each week. Schools are also being urged to publish their own monthly or quarterly magazines to nurture creative expression
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