Bihar school children rush to read in aircraft – shaped library
Unique design planned to encourage reading habit in schoolchildren
A Bihar school is hoping that an aircraft-shaped library will develop the reading habit in children.
A Bihar school principal’s unique idea to design a library like an aircraft to encourage children to read has paid off, with villagers and children alike thronging to it.
The aircraft-shaped library was constructed in three months by the school authorities. The library, located in the premises of the upgraded middle school, Shivesinghpur, in Samastipur district, has been designed like a plane — with cockpit, wings, wheels and a stairway to board.
School principal Meghan Sahni who conceptualised the idea said he wanted to do something extraordinary to arouse childrens’ interests in reading books, but the government had no funds to translate his dream into action. Ultimately, he spent Rs200,000 from his personal funds to construct an aircraft-shaped library that has become a big hit among the schoolchildren now.
About 25-30 students can study together in the ‘airplane library’ at any given time.
“Since most of the children in this school come from the rural areas and have never seen a plane, I constructed the library to let them experience the same joy of boarding a plane and also feel the pleasure of reading,” school principal Sahni said. He said the front section of the library has been designed like a “cockpit” with a few buttons added to it, while the interior has been tastefully decorated with attractive lighting.
About 25-30 students can study together in the “airplane library” at any given time. There is always a rush among the children to sit inside to get a feeling of “travelling by plane”. Currently, the school has more than 900 students.
A girl said a few weeks ago that her school room was in a dilapidated condition and she hated going to school. “But now it has been designed so tastefully that she always wants to be in the library. It looks like I am seeing a dream,” she told the media.
A Bihar school is hoping that an aircraft-shaped library will develop the reading habit in children.
The innovative idea of the school principal has won laurels from various quarters and earned praise from the education department. “Creativity at its best. Kudos to the headmaster, students and faculty and the district education team,” said Bihar education secretary Sanjay Kumar.
Many parents now want to admit their children to the school. “Parents want to admit their children in this school not only because of our innovative ideas but also because of the quality of education we provide to them. That’s why more than a dozen students are shortlisted for scholarships by the government every year,” the school principal said.
A Bihar school is hoping that an aircraft-shaped library will develop the reading habit in children.
This is not the first time that any government school has adopted the innovative idea. Recently, another government middle school located in the same district designed the classrooms to look like a train compartment with the objective of attracting children to school and introducing them to the “pleasure of learning”.
The project was launched by Government Middle School, Mohiuddinagar, located in Samastipur district. “Just as travelling is a pleasure, we wanted the students to experience the same delight while learning as well, and hence adopted the idea,” was what the school authorities said while launching the idea. They said the attendance of students had improved after the classrooms were painted like a train.
