Newspaper in Education, a daily paper serving a number of Mumbai schools, has returned to publication as students returned to the classroom after the summer holidays, parent publisher the Times of India reported on Monday.

The Newspaper in Education represents both a daily paper angled at young readers and a classroom programme for education and development.

"NIE has a contemporary outlook,'' says M Chandrasekharan, principal of Bombay Scottish. "Students find it quite interesting to read as compared to mainstream newspapers, and teachers find it useful since it wraps up a news event in a nutshell and saves them hours of browsing through the text-heavy grey layouts commonly found in mainstream papers. The presentation of facts in the paper is indeed commendable and appeals directly to young readers of the day. Students also love the workshops and field trips that form part of the programme.''

Sudeshna Chatterjee, principal of Jamnabai Narsee School, also advocated the classroom benefits of the paper, "NIE is like a fresh textbook that arrives on the desks of our students and is read in-between classes until the teacher arrives in class. Students love the games in the paper. Students are encouraged to read the newspaper in detail and we hold group discussions on the various topics covered by the paper.''

The NIE publication is based on the objectives: to educate students; to narrow the gap between school and the real world; to promote the reading habit among the young and create lifelong learners, informed consumers and involved citizens.