Staff Reporter

Krishnagiri: Tamil reading skills of children have registered a significant improvement following the implementation of `Padippum Inikkum' programme in Krishnagiri district.

The pilot project aimed at improving reading skills of children is being implemented in the districts of Krishnagiri, Thiruvunnamalai, Kancheepuram, Vellore, Tiruvallur, Tiruchirapalli, Dindigul, Sivagangai, Coimbatore and Cuddalore, said Collector Santhosh Babu here on Thursday.

Inaugurating a science exhibition organised by AID India, a voluntary organisation at Government Girls Higher Secondary School, the Collector said that Ariviyal Anandam (Science is Fun) programme has been extended to all blocks in the district.

The programme was an opportunity to improve the scientific skills and instil scientific attitude among children. The project is a pilot initiative in the State and motivates children to relate what they learnt in schools with the real world. As part of the programme, children were trained to perform 35 low-cost experiments based on scientific procedures.

The children had developed more than 100 experiments using the kits. Resource persons from AID India under the programme trained more than 2 lakh children in Standards VII and VIII.

Mr. Babu said that members enrolled in the village volunteer force and children's brigade would meet on the first Friday of every month in all panchayats in the district. They would motivate parents to construct individual household toilets and create awareness on personal hygiene. Children also demonstrated experiments they had learnt under the `Ariviyal Anandam' programme during the exhibition.

Ravishankar, Assistant Programme coordinator, AID India, Smitha Kalyani District coordinator and UNICEF district coordinator P. Ganesamoorthi also spoke.