Ranchi: Classrooms across the state turned into storytelling spaces on Monday as locals and village elders brought folk tales, oral traditions and community lore to schoolchildren.As many as 36,191 children from 552 govt schools participated in “Kahani Ki Duniya”, an activity organised by Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) under its month-long reading campaign, “My Words, My Story”.Children listened to stories narrated by elders and community members before discussing and retelling them in their own words. The initiative sought to take reading beyond textbooks by introducing students to narratives rooted in their surroundings, traditions and cultural heritage. The programme also saw the participation of 1,439 teachers and 270 govt officials.JEPC state coordinator (quality) Avinav Kumar said the campaign was designed to gradually turn children into independent readers. “The effort is to take children from the lower steps to the higher steps and gradually make them independent readers,” he said.Kumar said children should be given opportunities to listen to stories about rural culture and traditions and narrate them in their own way. “When children listen to stories from their cultural heritage and find them relatable, their interest in reading and storytelling also develops,” he added.The “My Words, My Story” campaign, which began on Aug 15, will continue across govt schools till Sept 18. It includes classroom and community activities aimed at strengthening reading, listening, writing and storytelling skills.The next activity, scheduled for Wednesday, will feature a “QR Code Story Wall”. Schools will create or upgrade QR-based story walls, allowing students to scan codes and access audio and digital stories. The exercise is aimed at familiarising children with digital reading while sustaining their interest in stories.
