Once Again in Sepiddasht

Once Again in Sepiddasht – Read with Me Starts Another Academic Year in Lorestan

Read with Me has been implemented in various regions of Lorestan province for more than 5 years. It has covered a number of schools in Kouhdasht, Sepiddasht as well as nomadic schools.

In the academic year of 2018-19, with the financial support of Yarra Foundation, 30 teachers joined the program in Sepiddasht. Due to the cooperation of Lorestan Education Office and the teachers themselves, the program proved effective. Therefore, Read with Me experts suggested to continue the program in this region for another academic year. In 2019-20, Read with Me focuses on training first through third grade teachers in the Basic Literacy Creative Education workshops. Rural multi-grade classes will also be covered. To ensure the sustainability of the program and providing a larger book collection, the establishment of a child-centered library as a base to serve teachers and students in the region is also of importance. This year, Yaran-e-Danesh (AYDM) supports the implementation of Read with Me program.

Plans and Actions

After the necessary arrangements, a cultural-educational center was introduced by the Education Office to be used as library. Renovation and providing certain library equipment were the first measures taken. On 3-5 October, two Read with Me experts travelled to the region to work on the library’s interior design, cataloging books and resources and training librarians. Seeking cooperation from locals in library preparation is part of the standard process of establishing Read with Me libraries.

Right now, with 1200 books, this library is ready to welcome students and teachers. Teachers are expected to visit the library to borrow quality books and hold reading aloud sessions similar to last year. In addition, the Institute for Research on the History of Children’s Literature, has sent Basic Literacy Creative Education packages, along with book displays to teachers.  After participating in the workshops held in November, these teachers can utilize the packages to make literacy easy and enjoyable to children.