The Importance of Reading (8): Attaining Quality of Education by Boosting Reading Interest

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"The book is a treasure of world welfare and the best legacy for the younger generation and the nations." Henry David Thoreau, Walden

“Buku adalah harta karun kesejahteraan dunia dan warisan terbaik bagi generasi muda dan bangsa-bangsa.” Henry David Thoreau, Walden


As to putting our big concern now to the reading interests of Indonesian people in general, it is likely that the rate interest of reading in Indonesia is still considered low if compared to the Japanese people (in my the previous writing). It is quite shocking that Indonesia ranks 60th out of 61 countries in terms of reading interest. This was based on the study of Central Connecticut State University in the US.  There has to be high awareness to reading from the bottom lines of society to improve it, especially for those who live in the villages and remote areas. So let us give attention to those people at this particular topic. We may assume that in those societies, for instance in the villages, the development of structures and infrastructures have not well provided yet. This includes schools’ buildings and their libraries, villages’ roads and the bridges, etc.

Thus, raising awareness would be crucial step to be taken at the first place. It could be executed by establishing the good libraries at schools as well as the garden reading communities in which provides any kind of reading materials, in every part of the villages, to create a good reading environment. Not only could the children participate in that programmes, but also the adults could be encouraged to join as the reading community members as well. The other alternative may be considered, for example the monasteries and/or the mosques could be prepared as the centre of learning for the societies by providing the monasteries’ libraries and so on. Yet they are not only the places in which ritual worships be held, but also become the places where the people could improve their knowledge by getting some books, magazines and other various source of information and it would be a good idea if the people involving in those activities are also discussing what they have been reading sequentially.

There are some government organisations and many of non-government organisations as well as individuals that are interested in this issue that could be reached out in order to assist the programmes by proposing some new and used books, funds, donations or volunteering works. These programs, including schools based programmes, successively could be boosted by making some reading competitions, writing competitions, speech competitions, and so forth.

I believe that these steps hopefully would develop reading interests of the Indonesian people and finally could attain quality of education for the people respectively.* (WONN)

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