Mohammad Mohi Uddin :
Reading is one of the four skills of language which is very important. Formal education begins with reading. A child enters the greater territory of knowledge through Reading -skill. Reading spontaneously with correct pronunciation is considered as the reading skill. In this case, reading with understanding, grammatical correction, elaboration of thought or summarization is not mandatory. Appropriate preparation is necessary for all the students to acquire the reading skill.
If a student of Grade/ class 2 can read forty words per minute, it is considered that the student has achieved the reading skill as per international standard (this standard is followed by the USA for reading English Language). We do apply this method at the end of the primary level i.e. after class 5 / Grade 5. If a student can read 60-65 words per minute with meaning he is considered to achieve the reading skill of primary level.
In this case, we can take help of a wristwatch or a stop watch. As Bangla is our mother tongue, we can achieve this skill effortlessly. Forty words per minute means less than a word per second which is very possible. Concentration should be given to this. A child tries to speak after seven or eight month of its birth. Then, why after seven or eight years, when he will be in class two or three, will not be able to read effortlessly.
The textbooks of primary level such as Bangla, Mathematics, Bangladesh and Global studies, Science, Religion and Moral Education and even learning English with Bengali meanings all are related to Bangla Language. That means, if any student can achieve the reading skill in Bangla, he/she will be able to read the other subjects too.
Whenever we go to the primary schools for first-hand inspection, we let the students to read from their textbooks, read the joint letters and the difficult words to check their Reading skills.
Most of them can read spontaneously, some of them can read with the help of their teachers and a few of them fully depends on their respective teachers. Sometime, the result does not come as per our expectation. This is high time, we must overcome this situation.
A few days ago, the secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Md. Akram-Al-Hossain gave some instructions to develop the reading skill of the students.
The instructions include one page reading homework daily given by the teachers, respective class teachers should make all the students read loudly at the starting of the class, teachers must read loudly so that the inertia of pronunciation be removed and standard pronunciation style will be created. Besides, the secretary tells to take necessary steps to develop courage in the students through arranging pronunciations competition which is very much appreciating, I think.
Besides, guardians should come ahead to develop their children’s Reading skill. If every mother makes his child read at least one page regularly and she herself reads loudly with her child, their reading skill will be increased. Students should create a habit of reading newspapers and story books in themselves which will enable him or her to become a spontaneous reader.
Reading is one of the four skills of language which is very important. Formal education begins with reading. A child enters the greater territory of knowledge through Reading -skill. Reading spontaneously with correct pronunciation is considered as the reading skill. In this case, reading with understanding, grammatical correction, elaboration of thought or summarization is not mandatory. Appropriate preparation is necessary for all the students to acquire the reading skill.
If a student of Grade/ class 2 can read forty words per minute, it is considered that the student has achieved the reading skill as per international standard (this standard is followed by the USA for reading English Language). We do apply this method at the end of the primary level i.e. after class 5 / Grade 5. If a student can read 60-65 words per minute with meaning he is considered to achieve the reading skill of primary level.
In this case, we can take help of a wristwatch or a stop watch. As Bangla is our mother tongue, we can achieve this skill effortlessly. Forty words per minute means less than a word per second which is very possible. Concentration should be given to this. A child tries to speak after seven or eight month of its birth. Then, why after seven or eight years, when he will be in class two or three, will not be able to read effortlessly.
The textbooks of primary level such as Bangla, Mathematics, Bangladesh and Global studies, Science, Religion and Moral Education and even learning English with Bengali meanings all are related to Bangla Language. That means, if any student can achieve the reading skill in Bangla, he/she will be able to read the other subjects too.
Whenever we go to the primary schools for first-hand inspection, we let the students to read from their textbooks, read the joint letters and the difficult words to check their Reading skills.
Most of them can read spontaneously, some of them can read with the help of their teachers and a few of them fully depends on their respective teachers. Sometime, the result does not come as per our expectation. This is high time, we must overcome this situation.
A few days ago, the secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Md. Akram-Al-Hossain gave some instructions to develop the reading skill of the students.
The instructions include one page reading homework daily given by the teachers, respective class teachers should make all the students read loudly at the starting of the class, teachers must read loudly so that the inertia of pronunciation be removed and standard pronunciation style will be created. Besides, the secretary tells to take necessary steps to develop courage in the students through arranging pronunciations competition which is very much appreciating, I think.
Besides, guardians should come ahead to develop their children’s Reading skill. If every mother makes his child read at least one page regularly and she herself reads loudly with her child, their reading skill will be increased. Students should create a habit of reading newspapers and story books in themselves which will enable him or her to become a spontaneous reader.
(Mohammad Mohi Uddin is Assistant Upozilla Education Officer).
