Rajasthan mandates newspaper reading in government schools
Jaipur (PTI): The Rajasthan government has made daily newspaper reading compulsory in all government schools in an effort to promote reading habits, improve vocabulary and enhance general awareness among students.
According to a December 31 order, students will be required to read newspapers for at least 10 minutes during the morning assembly. The initiative aims to familiarise students with current affairs and develop their ability to understand and analyse news at an early stage.
The directive from the state's school education department instructs government senior secondary schools and English-medium schools to subscribe to a minimum of two newspapers — one Hindi and one English — while government upper primary schools must ensure the availability of at least two Hindi newspapers.
The expenditure towards newspaper subscriptions will be borne by the Rajasthan School Education Council, Jaipur.
Schools have also been asked to identify five new words from the newspapers each day and explain their meanings to students to strengthen language skills. During morning assemblies, one national-level newspaper in English and one in Hindi will be read aloud.
The order further states that students should be divided class-wise and encouraged to read and discuss editorials and major national, international and sporting developments.
Officials said the programme is designed not only to improve students' general knowledge and social awareness but also to prepare them better for competitive examinations.
The move comes a week after the Uttar Pradesh government introduced a similar directive in government schools, making newspaper reading a mandatory activity.
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Second PUC results: Life convict clears exam with distinction, DGP lauds effort
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Bengaluru: A life convict lodged in Ballari Central Prison has successfully cleared the second PUC examination.
Ashok Kumar S, who appeared for the examination under prison escort, secured 481 marks out of 600, registering 80.1 percent.
Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Kumar (IPS), shared the development on his official ‘X’ handle, commending the inmate’s achievement.
In his post, he stated that it was heartening to see a life convict score over 80 percent in the examination, adding that the inmate had appeared from Ballari Central Prison under escort.
It’s heartening to see that one of our life convict prisoners Ashok has obtained 80.1% marks in PUC exam. He appeared under Prison escort from Ballari Central Prison for his exams.
— alok kumar (@alokkumar6994) April 9, 2026
Glad to see that Walls of the prison has not subdued his hopes for a better future. pic.twitter.com/Nzlcy076SR
He further noted that the achievement reflected that the “walls of the prison have not subdued his hopes for a better future.”
Alok Kumar in his post also shared the result sheet of Ashok.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) declared the second PUC results for 2026 on April 9.
A total of 6,32,200 students appeared for the examination across all streams, of whom 5,46,698 passed, recording an overall pass percentage of 86.48 per cent.
