“Reading leads to human development” – Minister of Education of Mozambique

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“Reading leads to human development” – Minister of Education of Mozambique

7:19 CAT | 10 Oct 2016

File Photo / Jorge Ferrão, minister fo Education of Mozambique

Mozambique’s Minister of Education, Jorge Ferro, on Thursday called on society to take advantage of book fairs, arguing that “reading leads to human development”.

Speaking at the opening of Maputo’s Second International Book Fair, organized by the Maputo Municipal Council in partnership with the Commercial and Investment Bank (BCI), Ferrao expressed concern that society, and particularly young Mozambicans, are not responding to appeals to read more.

“We were hoping that in this century young people would love the art of reading and thinking”, he said. “However, there is a perception that many of them are alienated, and have few prospects for their own future. There’s been a lack of enthusiasm and, even more seriously, a lack of projects for life. We have noted that children and young people have not managed to take the best advantage from books”.

The current generation, Ferrao said, has produced much more information than in any previous historical period. This information and knowledge could improve people’s quality of life, but it has not been properly used.

Reading, he stressed, leads, through life-long learning, to human development, and “a society concerned with the constant search for knowledge will always be better able to embark on viable development and manage the resources necessary to improve living conditions”.

Ferrao said that the Mozambican government and its partners have been equipping libraries in secondary schools, and hope the number will rise to at least 750. He added that at least 60,000 books have been distributed in primary and secondary schools, while between 150 and 200 book fairs are held in various parts of the country every year”.

“Clearly they are much smaller fairs that this one”, he added, “but they comply with their mission of bringing books closer to the direct consumers, and show that the academic bibliography exists and is available”.

For his part, the BCI’s director of marketing, Rogerio Lam, said the bank has accepted the challenge of this partnership, because it is aware of the importance of books in promoting economic development, economic and social well-being, and cultural values.

Source: AIM