The role of schools in promoting a reading habit among the lower secondary school students in a town council in northwestern Uganda

Many studies have reported that recreational reading among students, that is, the habit of reading beyond the academic demands leads to development of language skills necessary for improving educational outcomes essential for national development. This study was designed to establish the extent to which students were involved in recreational reading, the level of support the schools were giving to them, challenges faced in doing that, as well as suggested solutions to address the challenges. Two government schools were chosen for this study on the role of schools in promoting a reading habit among the lower secondary school students in a town council in Northwestern Uganda, A case study design was used involving mixed methods. The study revealed that one third of the students were not involved in any form of recreational reading at all. The remaining two thirds participated in recreational reading, but not regularly. Some of the challenges identified to be undermining efforts to promote student‟ reading habit were, examination-oriented teaching and learning, inadequate reading materials, including unattractive library conditions as well as limited teachers‟ knowledge about adult literature, and congested secondary school curriculum. Some of the suggested ways of addressing the challenges include provision for recreational reading periods on the school timetable, establishing a literacy-rich environment in schools, provision of more reading materials, including setting up readers and writers‟ clubs, as well as keeping the library open for as long as it is possible for students to access materials