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Beyond the page: Boosting child literacy takes more than books alone
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Happy puppet: One of the ways Bale Buku supports literacy education is through interactive storytelling. (Courtesy of Ayi Endar) (Personal collection/Courtesy ofAyi Endar)
W
hen Jakarta was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, child literacy became a major concern, as young students lost the opportunity to learn alongside peers and were made to rely on digital devices for their education.
On Nov. 8, Jakarta was named a City of Literature by UNESCO, alongside 40 other cities from 29 countries, earning a seat in the United Nations agency's Creative Cities Network.
The city was chosen for its literary history and potential to contribute to the field of literature. In the past few years, Jakarta has seen a rise in its reading culture. In 2020, 19 percent of publishers in Indonesia were based in Jakarta, and 14,906 of them were ISBN-registered, meaning they were part of an international publication indexing standard. The city also accounts for about 25 percent of the national digital collection.
Jakarta is home to several book events as well, such as the International Book Fair (IIBF), the Jakarta International Literary Festival (JILF) and Jakarta Content Week (Jaktent).
The city administration has devised various programs to improve literacy and the love of reading across the metropolitan area. One is called Gerakan Baca Jakarta (Jakarta Reading Movement), a collaboration involving the Jakarta Archive and Library Agency and library branches in Jakarta.
In 2021, the East Jakarta Archive and Library Agency began working with Bale Buku Jakarta (Jakarta Book Hall), an organization that focuses on creating spaces for children to read, learn and play. Hundreds of books of different genres were made available for children, young adults and parents.
