Sri Vijaya Puram, May 22: The Directorate of Education will organise the “Summer Book Fest-2026” in two phases at the State Library in Sri Vijaya Puram, aiming to encourage reading habits, creativity and literary engagement among school students across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
According to an official announcement issued on May 21, the festival will be conducted from May 26 to May 30 and again from June 9 to June 12 between 10 am and 1 pm. The initiative is intended for children between the ages of 6 and 18 years studying from Classes I to XII.
Officials said the event has been designed to promote reading culture and provide students with opportunities to participate in interactive literary and educational activities during the summer vacation period. The programme will include storytelling sessions, drawing contests, book-based games, quiz competitions and rhyme events.
The festival will open on May 26 with a storytelling competition in English for students of Classes III to V. Participants will narrate moral stories within a duration of three minutes, with each school allowed to send two students.
A drawing competition for Classes I and II students will be conducted on May 27 and 28, subject to holidays declared on account of Bakrid. The theme for the event has been set as “My Dream Library”. Students participating in the drawing contest will be given two hours to complete their artwork, while drawing sheets will be provided by the State Library.
On May 29, students from Classes VI to VIII will participate in the “Book Treasure Hunt Competition”, which will involve teams of three students from each school. The following day, students from Classes IX to XII will compete in “Book Dumb Charades”, where participants will silently act out book titles for teammates to identify.
The second phase of the festival will begin on June 9 with a Spell Bee Contest for Classes III to V. Students will participate in teams of two from each school.
A “Memory Shelf Challenge” is scheduled for June 10 for students of Classes VI to VIII. Participants will observe books displayed for one minute and later attempt to recall their titles. Teams of two students from each school will take part in the activity.
The festival will conclude with a Quiz Competition on June 11 for students of Classes IX to XII. The quiz will cover subjects including world literature, famous libraries of the world, library terminology, genres and general knowledge related to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
On June 12, students of Classes I and II will participate in an English and Hindi rhyme competition, with each participant allotted two minutes for presentation. The closing ceremony of the festival is expected to be held around 12.15 pm on the same day.
The Directorate of Education stated that the Summer Book Fest is expected to provide a vibrant platform for children to develop creativity, communication skills and confidence through participation in engaging educational activities.
General instructions issued for the event specify that group competitions must be attended only in teams, while names of participants for all competitions should reach the State Library by May 25. Students have also been asked to carry valid identity cards and report to the venue by 10 am on competition days.
Participants have been instructed to bring their own pens, colours and other required materials, except drawing sheets, which will be supplied by the organisers.
Officials said interested students may register directly at the State Library. Additional information regarding participation and scheduling can also be obtained through the contact numbers released by the organisers.
The initiative comes amid continued efforts to encourage literary engagement and extracurricular learning among school students in the Islands through activity-based educational programmes.
