Experts on Tuesday emphasised that the appropriate and interesting reading material in child’s language and access to libraries are necessary conditions to build a reading nation.
“To build a reading nation, it is important to start with children. Unless we create age appropriate and interesting reading material in the child’s language we are not creating the necessary conditions for the child to become drawn to reading,” Manisha Chaudhry, Editorial Head for Pratham said while speaking at 2nd edition of READtalks.
The ‘2nd edition of READtalks’- the programme was organised by US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Center for Knowledge Societies (CKS), in partnership with Pratham Books and Room to Read India in New Delhi.
“We also have to be aware of the fact that reading should not remain confined to meeting ‘educational objectives’ and that is where libraries have a crucial role to play—to provide exposure, variety and a nurturing space for the child to explore his or her own interests. All of us can play varying but complementary roles to make this happen,” Manisha added.
Saktibrata Sen, Room to Read Director for Literacy, added “We need wonderful children’s literature in the classrooms with each child having access to them.”
He added that a systematic instruction on learning to read is absolutely essential for children, and equally essential is the presence of a variety of books for children to read.
Speaking at the event launch, Anurima Chatterjee, Program Director, READ Alliance, said “This READtalk will delve into the role of libraries for reading improvement and content creation for libraries to engage readers in multilingual and diverse settings.”
This year’s READtalks is being attended by more than 50 publishing houses, private sector companies, civil society organizations, and librarians and focuses on the role of libraries in addressing the reading challenge in the country.
