Reading Club kicks off at the Academy

The Reading Club of the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad hosted its inaugural event on 1st April. The session was organised by the library department to promote reading habits in school. In collaboration with head librarian Manjuushaa Maadiwaley, the event was organised by grade 8 students Zoya Virani, Bahrom Saidoshurov and Rida Mawani and was attended by students of grades 6-9. The event’s theme was “Reading is Boring”, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the trouble beginner readers associate with books.

The days leading up to the event saw posters around the Academy asking questions such as, “Why should I read when I could watch the movie instead?” and “Why read when I could take a weekend nap?” At the event, students were presented some of their favourite characters and celebrities who loved reading. They also participated in a quiz, sharing facts about reading. An interactive session followed where students were shown how to make reading more invigorating.

Guest speakers at the event were MYP humanities teacher, Jina Saha, and grade 4 student, Nayantara Jacob. Jina spoke about why she loves reading and Nayantara talked about her fondest memories with books. Members were delighted by the impassioned speakers. “They definitely helped us in persuading students to pick up a book and read,” said Zoya.

The session ended with a reading challenge posed to its members, creating a competitive environment to fashion voracious readers. “Reading is exciting and I feel that it should be fun and enjoyable for the kids,” said Service and Action faculty, Afeera Maryam, who helped coordinate the event. Students who organised the gathering were proud of the impact they had had on the student community and look forward to future meetings and the books to come.