The Indigenous Reading Program (IRP) is a non-profit organisation equipping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students with Android tablets filled with e-books to provide an incentive to read.

St Patrick's Parish School Cooma were successful in making six submissions to the IRP for both primary and secondary students to access the free program that is designed to complement existing literacy programs.

Aboriginal Education Support teacher Lou Mackay said that students were eager to start the program with the incentive of keeping the tablets if they show improvement at the end of the twelve weeks program.

“As soon as the tablets arrived the students were presented with them and the reading log they have to maintain and away they went!” she said. 

​“Students immediately accessed the online library and I heard comments like, ‘I've been wanting to read this book!’ and ‘Wow, they’ve got the whole Harry Potter series here!’.

“It was exciting to be their teacher and hear these comments.”

Lou said the tablets and the IRP team have been fantastic and is impressed with how well organised and smooth running this program has been.

“Most of the school staff who have seen the tablets have said they wouldn't mind one either,” she said.

“What a great incentive to help students read!”