The books brought out as part of the pilot project of the State Education Department, Vasippu Iyakkam (Reading Movement), tackles issues and topics that are no longer discussed in textbooks.
With a set of 53 books, the initiative is an effort to make reading more friendly and accessible for students of government schools. Books such as No Sollu (Say no), a book on refusal skills that also discusses caste; Mudhal Asiriyar (First Teacher), a book on Savitribai Phule; and Padikka Annupanga (Send Me to Study) that introduces children to Begum Rokeya, are also a way for the students to better understand their rights.
“Where do textbooks now address these things? It has become rote learning and exam-oriented,” says Sa. Madasamy, the author of No Sollu.
