TEHRAN -- School children will entertain with book reading, storytelling and story writing during holidays of the Iranian New Year, Noruz, starting March 21.

After decades, the Ministry of Education has replaced Noruz holiday homework, which were offered to students in a pamphlet nationwide known as Peik-e Shadi, with book reading and story writing.

“Regarding the importance of book reading in developing creation and thought, we decided to assign story reading, story writing and storytelling as holiday homework during Noruz,” Rezvan Hakimzadeh an official with the Ministry of Education said.

“Digital games take most time of children nowadays and there is no space for book reading so they do not have reading and writing skill,” she lamented.  

“With this replacement, students can narrate their experience during holiday and they have time for travelling and playing,” she explained.

According to the program, students can choose some books to read and summarize or they can write about their experiences during the holiday.

“I really become happy by hearing the news. Story and fiction is a very good way to conduct experience,” head of Madreseh Publications Hamidreza Shahabadi told Mehr news agency.

Madreseh Publications is affiliated to Iran’s Ministry of Education.
He said that teachers should let students to read what they like and don’t oblige them to summarize the book, because in this way, there is no difference between book reading and homework.

“Unfortunately students do not read books so they cannot narrate and tell stories in the right way. Book reading helps them to read, write and narrate in better way,” he explained.

SB/MQ/MG