SHIMLA, June 24 —Himachal Pradesh Directorate of School Education has directed all schools across the state to begin daily news reading sessions during morning assemblies.
The directive, issued to all deputy directors (elementary and secondary), instructs schools to integrate a brief 3–5 minute news-reading segment into their assemblies, featuring selected news items from international, national, state, or sports categories. The move follows an incident where Class 10 students in Kullu district were unable to answer basic questions about India’s President and capital city during Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s surprise visit.
“Students should be guided to pick age-appropriate and relevant news items,” the circular reads. “A designated teacher must supervise the process to ensure accuracy, clarity, and suitability of content.”
Each session is to be conducted in both English and Hindi, with students encouraged to actively participate on a rotational basis. The aim, according to the directorate, is not only to promote awareness but also to develop public speaking skills and the habit of staying informed.
To support the initiative, school heads have been instructed to ensure that both English and Hindi newspapers are available on campus.
“The news reading exercise must be a regular part of the assembly and should engage students meaningfully without disrupting its flow,” the directive further noted.
The education department believes the initiative will gradually foster an informed student community and prevent embarrassing knowledge gaps in the future.
