FOR five-years-old Ruthra,Saturday afternoon have never been so much fun.Since January this year,
she had been enrolled in a reading programme at Bukit Merah Community Library organised by Sinda.
The Bukit Merah Library Helpdesk is run by students from the local universities. The programme is so
popular that two new help-desks have been recently set up in Tampines Regional Library and
Whampoa Children's Library.
The aim is to get young Indians reading from an early age . This is a follow-up after findings which
showed that out of every 3,500 Indian students who enter Primary 1 each year, at least 20 to 30 per
cent face reading difficulties.
A 1997 sample study by Sinda also showed that seven out of 10 children surveyed said their parents
did not accompany them to the library.For two hours every Saturday afternoon, the volunteers read
stories, play word games and put up short skits to get Indian children , between five and eight years
old , interested in reading.
When Ruthra first enrolled. she had problems with the alphabet and could not spell. She wwas also
easily distracted.
Now , her concentration has improved and she can spell words with four letters with ease. "I like to
read books with pictures,"she said shyly."My favourite is Barney the dinosaurs."Bavani
Purushothaman,22, a students in the Science Faculty at National University of Singapore,has been
involved in the programme since its conception last July.
"The children have improved in terms of reading, behaviour and attitude.They look forward to meeting
familiar faces every week. As for the volunteers,they develop a sense of reponsibility to look after the
kids,"she said.
