Archive · 12 Jan 2026
India Mandates Newspaper Reading in Schools
In India, two states, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, have told schools to make sure students read newspapers every day.
This is because reading newspapers can help students think better and understand things more clearly.
Some teachers and experts say that reading newspapers is good because it covers many different topics and helps students learn to read quickly and find important information.
They also say that reading on screens can make it harder to focus and understand what you're reading.
So, they want students to read more books and newspapers instead of just using screens.
There is a big group of teachers and schools working together to make this happen, and they are trying to get more students interested in reading.
Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have mandated daily newspaper reading in schools to boost literacy and critical thinking.
Educators nationwide are promoting the India Reads movement to encourage reading beyond textbooks.
Reading newspapers is believed to enhance cognitive processing and literacy skills through skim-and-scan strategies.
Surveys show varying newspaper reading habits among youth, with some regions showing higher engagement than others.
Research suggests that print reading improves comprehension and attention compared to digital reading.
- Who
- Students in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, educators nationwide
- What
- Mandated newspaper reading in schools, India Reads movement
- When
- December 2023 directives, ongoing movement
- Where
- Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and other states in India
- Why
- To improve literacy, critical thinking, and cognitive skills, and to counter the trend of screen reading
- States Involved
- Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan
- Organizations Involved
- English Language Teachers Association of India (ELTAI), India Reads
- Reading Strategy
- Skim-and-scan
- Benefits
- Improved literacy, critical thinking, cognitive skills
- Institutions Participating
- 150 across multiple states
- Reading Materials
- English and Hindi newspapers, books, comics, graphic novels, biographies, mystery, horror, self-help titles
- Reading Habits Survey
- 4.4% of students in Bareilly prioritize newspapers, 80% in Gujarat read for current affairs, 48% in Hyderabad read daily
- Research Findings
- Print reading improves comprehension over digital reading