Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Aimed at exploring opportunities to promote reading culture through development of libraries in primary schools, a one day workshop was held in a local hotel on Thursday. The workshop was attended by people from different walks of life. Vice President of Alif Laila Book Bus Society Rabia Aman Khan, while making a presentation on “KP Shines” stressed the need for collective efforts to ensure that all children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are able to read by the end of class three. She added that the goal to be achieved, needed well comprehensive primary school library policy and ensuring children’s access to the reading material. Highlighting importance of reading, she said that information technology tycoons like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg do read books. “Those who appreciate the significance of reading do read even in wars”, she remarked.  Rabia Aman went on saying that reading could lead societies to the height of progress and prosperity whereas people unable to read were a burden on the national economy causing low productivity. She suggested that parents, teachers and education department together can make a big difference adding that child can learn only if he can read. Member Provincial Assembly Amna Sardar on this occasion while speaking her mind said people in general were not in the habit of reading adding that only reader teachers could motivate students to read. She urged parents, teachers and Civil Society to work for promotion of the reading culture because it was the only way to reach our targets of development. It is worth mentioning that Alif Laila Book Bus Society with the help of USAID has established 100 libraries to 50 girl’s primary schools in D.I Khan and Bannu each. Each library contains 860 books whereas 250 teachers have been trained to guide students on how to use a library.