ToT on Reading Skills and Strategies & Book Management under the Bhutan Children’s Book Initiative Project

Monday 2 February 2015

The Department of Curriculum Research & Development (DCRD), Ministry of Education and Save the Children trained 20 teachers from Thimphu and Zhemgang as Trainers on Reading Skills and Strategies & Book Management under the Bhutan Children’s Book Initiative Project. The 5-day workshop began on 26th January and it was facilitated by Senior Education Advisor of Save the Children Joseph Nhan- O’Reilly.  The Trainers will then train over 392 primary school teachers (PP-Class III) and school principals towards the end of February 2015, rolling out the implementation of Reading among primary school children. Teacher’s Training is one of the six activities of the project. By March 2015, the project will establish 354 classroom libraries / reading corners in all the primary schools in Thimphu and Zhemgang.

Save the Children – Bhutan Country Office in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Royal Government of Bhutan, launched the Bhutan Children’s Book Initiative in January 2014 as a part of its education programme. The project is piloted in the two districts of Thimphu and Zhemgang targeting children from ECCD up till Grade III benefitting over 9000 children in 57 primary schools and 7 ECCD Centres.

The project focuses on three major areas of support:

  1.  improving the supply of locally produced, high quality, age and context appropriate books for children
  2.  enhancing demand for the locally produced children’s books;
  3. improving the management and use of books in support of learning.

 The Project has so far

  1. Trained local writers and authors on writing children’s book 
  2. Trained local illustrators on illustrating books for children
  3. Published and supplied 5 children’s books by local authors, and additional 15 are under process
  4. Started the production of book shelves for classroom libraries / reading corners

The training ended on 30th January and it was graced by the Director of DCRD (Department of Curriculum Research and Development).