School Based Reading Promotion Dialogue Sessions with stakeholders is one of the programs implemented by PeerLink Initiative Uganda (PELI-U) in partnership with community based primary schools. Through these sessions PeerLink Initiative Uganda engages stakeholders in a dialogue session focusing on reading. The purpose of the sessions is to strengthen school stake holder involvement in reading promotion activities.
Objectives of the dialogue sessions
- To equip school stakeholders with information, knowledge and skills to enable them promote a reading culture in schools.
- To establish challenges faced in promoting reading at school level.
- To lobby and advocate for implementation of a weekly library/reading hour in the primary school schedule.
School stakeholders involved in the dialogue sessions include: School management committee members, students, teachers, parents and school administrators. The dialogue session focuses on number of issues that include: A presentation by PELI-U team that highlights the reading problem and benefits of reading, the school stakeholders converge in different groups to brainstorm on the roles of the different stakeholders, the challenges faced in promoting reading and measures that can be undertaken to promote a reading culture in the schools.
Different stakeholders make presentations. All stakeholders engage in a read and reflection session. The different schools come up with action points and work plan to promote reading
Since January 2025 a total of 7 school-based reading promotion dialogue sessions have been held reaching 477 school stakeholders.
The role of different stakeholders in reading promotion: School Manage Committee (SMC) can sensitize parents on importance of reading, include reading in the budget and Workplan, follow up and monitor, teachers to facilitate the reading activities, learners can visit libraries and borrow books, parents are expected to give children time to read at home, supervise them and Headteachers to spearhead inclusion of reading on school timetable.
Challenges faced in promoting reading: Lack of adequate reading materials, lack of functional school libraries, negative attitude towards reading, lack of parental/guardian involvement in children’s reading activities, existing books and reading spaces are not accessible in most schools’ books are kept in Headteachers office or staff room and lack of guidance from teachers.
Strategies for improving a reading culture in Primary Schools: Include a library hour on the school timetable, provision of more reading materials, organize school based reading promotion events, set up functional school libraries, sensitize parents/guardians on importance of reading, parents to spearhead reading at household level, integrate reading is school annual plans and budgets and monitor and supervise reading initiatives in the school.
Support us to facilitate more school based reading promotion dialogue sessions with stakeholders.
