Thinley Wangmo | intern

Thimphu dzongkhag conducted a reading assessment programme in nine schools last week to enhance and motivate good reading habits that could help students speak and write better.

Eight assessors, including dzongkhag education officials, conducted the three-day assessment starting on November 8 to promote students’ academic excellence.

The officiating chief dzongkhag education officer, Lham Tshering, said the focus of the intervention is on academic performance and reading programmes.

She said they identified 72 students who had problems reading in 2019 and took the students to Genekha during summer break.

“Every week, we conducted a pre-test to check the students’ oral reading fluency and comprehension. We found that students who were able to read nine words in the pre-test could read more than 32 words in the follow-up test,” she said. “It showed our intervention was making a meaningful impact.”

According to Lham Tshering, they also found that students performed better after the intervention academically. “In their annual exams, students not only did better in English but also in other subjects.”

Hongtsho Primary School’s principal, Jamyang, said the reading intervention programme has a positive impact on students. “A Class Six student who failed the midterms scored better after attending the programme in 2019.”

Edited by Tashi Dema