Scholastic India is going to hold the 13th edition of ‘One Nation Reading Together’ (ONRT), an annual event, on January 24, 2020. As part of the event children across the country will spend 20 minutes reading for fun and engaging in other activities that celebrate reading as an enjoyable and enriching experience.
What happens on ‘One Nation Reading Together’
On the ONRT event day, students will take a reading pledge written by the renowned author, Sampurna Chattarji, then read from a book of their choice for the next 20 minutes. In select schools across the country the sessions will be conducted by Scholastic authors. For each school that participates, Scholastic India will donate a book to an NGO for underprivileged children, reports India Today.
In a few schools, authors or a local celebrity will be invited to read and celebrate the event with the school. The students will also be asked to make a bookmark or design a book cover.
Why Scholastic organises ‘One Nation Reading Together’?
Scholastic India, a subsidiary of Scholastic Inc. has been publishing and distributing children’s books and delivering literacy resources in India since 1997.
Since its inception, Scholastic India has strived to foster the habit of reading and creating new readers. One Nation Reading Together (ONRT) is a step in this direction.
“Scholastic’s global commitment to get children to read and help them grow into empathetic, enlightened citizens remains the highest priority. One Nation Reading Together is a testament to that ideal’’, says Shantanu Duttagupta, Publisher, Scholastic India.
Scholastic India’s Growing Impact
In the last 12 years, over 4,200 schools and over 6 million students have participated in this nationwide event. Authors like Ruskin Bond, Sudha Murty, Gulzar, Paro Anand have marked their presence in the ONRT sessions.
This year, the registrations have crossed the 2000 mark, with more than 1600 schools participating. Not only schools, registrations for 2020 are also open to parents.