Civic schools lack basic reading room facility

MUMBAI: On Friday, when The Asian Age visited seven schools run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), it came to light that they didn’t have libraries or even separate rooms for storing books.

Three out of seven schools have certain books for students to read or refer, but the libraries don’t meet the ideal library standards in the schools.

“We get books from people donate them and some from the BMC, which we allow the students to read whenever they want. However, we don’t allow students to take it to home or anywhere outside the school campus. Though we don’t have a separate room, we have stored all the books in a good manner,” said head teacher of a Bandra-based BMC-run Urdu medium scho-ol. In a Sion-based Marathi medium school, they have around 70 books in the school, accessible to the students.

Even though these schools have books, they don't have an ideal library specified with sitting facilities for the students to sit and read or take notes.

Rajalakshmi Shivbalan, a teacher feels that libraries are important  as it gives the students an important insight into books that are more than their standard  academic books. “Even though the unprivileged students don’t get a taste of a good library, getting books to read is a privilege to them,” she said.