What in newspapers appeals to them

Updated on: Thursday, August 04, 2011

What is it that catches the attention of children most in a newspaper? ‘Photographs' screams a group of boys, listing out pictures such as the “Rocket launch,” “Viswanathan Anand playing chess” and “a batsman hitting a six.”

“We cut out photographs from the newspaper and make an album,” said N. Vignesh, a class VII student.

The Hindu Newspaper in Education (NIE) programme 2011-12 was launched at K.C.Sankaralinga Nadar Higher Secondary School, Washermenpet on Wednesday, where children spoke on what interested them the most in newspapers.

“We gather some of the interesting news items and write a summary about each of them. We also read about the latest happenings in other States,” said K.A.Kannan, another student of the school. Reading short stories and solving puzzles in Young World and attempting Sudoku from the main paper and reading about film stars in MetroPlus are what most students look out for when they receive the newspaper everyday in school.

The NIE programme has been adopted in the school to help students of both English and Tamil medium classes improve their vocabulary and gain confidence in conversing in English, said R. Rajendran, Headmaster of the school.

“When English is taught, the Tamil medium students are generally not interested. But when the NIE programme is organised every month the students look forward to them as these classes are interactive and involve a lot of activities,” Mr. Rajendran said. Talking about his experiences and the struggle while learning English, chief guest and Chief Executive Officer of International Institute of Project Management, O. Arivazhagan, highlighted the role newspapers played in his life. “Having completed most of my schooling in Tamil medium, I struggled to write a letter in English while seeking financial assistance from a bank. I was dependent on friends. But my language improved when I started reading English books and newspapers.” “Whenever you come across a new word or phrase, underline it and learn its meaning,” he added. During an interaction with the students, Mr.Arivazhagan posed questions on various subjects and the students responded enthusiastically.

What in newspapers appeals to them

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