Welcome your guests with books, and no longer with bouquets.

This is the message Meghalaya’s East Garo Hills deputy commissioner Swapnil Tembe conveyed to his subordinates on Monday.

In a letter to his additional deputy commissioners, extra assistant commissioners, block development officers and heads of department, Tembe sought their cooperation in the new initiative to promote the habit of reading among the district people.

“Various functions are organised by several departments throughout the year wherein the chief guest/guest of honour are given bouquets. I would like to request you to consider giving them books instead,” Tembe said.

He added that it can be an informative book or a book on the event being organised. “The gifted books can then be donated to schools by the dignitaries and officers once they have read them. This will definitely promote a culture of reading in the district, which is desperately needed for the youth,” he added.

Inculcating reading habits among the youth is one of the ideas behind the Project Star, a plan to transform schools by augmenting resources.

Under this project, existing resources are being used to strengthen the education machinery especially at the foundation levels. The project also envisages improvement of the infrastructure of government schools.

Moreover, the project has a component where one can adopt a school. People are being asked to come forward and upgrade a school building.

Although schools are being upgraded with government funds, Tembe felt that the money is not enough to cover all institutions to turn them into model schools.

When posted in Dadenggre, West Garo Hills as a sub-divisional officer, the IAS officer had taken up crowdfunding projects to help rebuild schools. After taking over as East Garo Hills deputy commissioner, Tembe has been encouraging people to donate and adopt schools. Several officers in the district have adopted schools in the recent past.

From Monday and till January 10, a teachers’ training has been organised by the district administration under the Project Star.