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Children in eastern RI aim higher through reading: NGO
Taman Bacaan Pelangi (Rainbow Reading Garden) founder Nila Tanzil says children in rural villages in eastern Indonesia had expressed belief that they would achieve more in life after being given wider access to various books
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T
aman Bacaan Pelangi (Rainbow Reading Garden) founder Nila Tanzil says children in rural villages in eastern Indonesia had expressed belief that they would achieve more in life after being given wider access to various books.
"Previously, they only wanted to become priests or teachers. Through reading, they found that there were a lot more professions they could choose in life. They now say they want to be astronauts, doctors, police officers, even soccer players," Nila told the Jakarta Post on the sidelines of an event in South Jakarta on Sunday.
Currently, Taman Bacaan Pelangi, an NGO that establishes children's libraries in eastern Indonesia, runs 29 libraries on 12 islands, including Flores, Papua and Lombok, with a collection of more than 50,000 books.
Nila said an estimated 6,000 children in rural areas could borrow books from the libraries, with approximately 20 children visiting the library every day.
"Dreaming is important. We hope that they then can get out of their villages, get scholarships and be successful in turning their dreams into reality, before returning to their villages and helping develop them. It all starts with books," she said.
Education and Culture Ministry data from 2012 showed that the four provinces with the highest illiteracy rates were in eastern Indonesia, namely Papua with 36.31 percent, West Nusa Tenggara with 16.48 percent, West Sulawesi 10.33 percent and East Nusa Tenggara with 10.13 percent.
Nila said high illiteracy rates in the provinces should not lessen efforts to give people access to books, as reading could also help students increase their vocabulary and do better in exams. (fsu/ebf)(++++)
