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A good reading room can change the direction of a young person’s life. It gives students a quiet place to study, access to books, newspapers and digital resources, and a space where learning becomes a daily habit.
J&K needs such spaces in every block and town. Many students, especially in rural and semi urban areas, struggle to find a suitable place to study. Homes can be crowded. Libraries may be far away. Internet access can also be unreliable or unaffordable for some families.
A community reading room can fill this gap.
The idea should be simple. Every block should have at least one well maintained reading room. Larger towns can have more than one, based on population and demand. These facilities should remain open for long hours, with some operating 24 hours in areas where students need them.
The rooms should offer basic but essential facilities. Good lighting, comfortable seating, heating during winter, reliable internet, charging points, newspapers, competitive examination books and reference material should be standard. Students preparing for civil services, J&K competitive examinations, banking, teaching and other entrance tests should find useful material under one roof.
But infrastructure alone will not solve the problem. The administration must ensure proper maintenance, security and regular updating of books and digital resources. Local educational institutions, civil society groups and community organisations can also help manage these spaces.
There is another important benefit. Reading rooms can become peaceful community spaces. Young people from different backgrounds can study together, exchange ideas and develop a stronger reading culture. Such places can also encourage children to read beyond their school textbooks.
The cost of creating these facilities would be modest compared with the long term value they can create. An unused government building, community hall or other suitable public space can often be converted into a reading room instead of constructing an entirely new building.
J&K has no shortage of talented students. The challenge is to provide them with the right environment.
A reading room cannot guarantee success. It can, however, give a student something extremely important: a fair place to prepare, concentrate and dream.
Every block and town should have one. Access to a quiet place for learning should not depend on where a student lives or how much their family can afford.
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