What is the future of the reading culture in the country?

As education development stakeholders advance efforts to enhance reading culture in the country, they are facing a challenge where hardly any homes indulge children in reading for pleasure. As Jean de la Croix Tabaro writes, there is a high mountain to climb ahead, but with desirable input, the project is plausible.It is not unusual to find music playing at a disturbing volume. When there is no radio in the bus it is common to see some passengers dosing off for most of the journey. It is rare to find someone in such a bus reading a newspaper or a book. In homes and schools the situation is not any different. Plasma television screens and home theatres dominate most living rooms where bookshelves are a rarity. Many children grow up in such an environment and graduate without any book read for general knowledge or pleasure besides the textbooks. Education experts say this is the trend that is threatening the future of the reading culture in the country.At World Mission International, a day school in Gasabo district, Marie Grace Uwimpaye, a Senior Five student, admits she has not read a book in ages. “There was a library at my former school, but the teachers used to only bring History, Biology and Chemistry text books [for basic curricula]; there was no need to go to the library,” she said. Uwimpaye leaves school at 2pm and once home, she buries herself in domestic chores. At night, she revises her notes. This is basically her routine. She does not know any author, nor a columnist from Rwanda or abroad. Interestingly, the director of her school, Samuel Hategekimana, insists that the school has a library where they keep books, including bibles, a Kinyarwanda and foreign newspapers. “Teachers bring books for one hour of the reading session; afterwards they take them back to the library. Our students cannot borrow since we are afraid they can steal them,” he said, disclosing that there is no follow up to see if the students are actually making an effort to read. Studies show that because most students never get time to read during school time, it is advised that they are allowed to borrow a book and carry it home and read during free time. But, unfortunately, most schools in the country do not allow pupils to borrow books. Onus on parentsWhereas schools and teachers often take the carrot for ‘not doing enough’ to inculcate reading culture in students, there is no denying the role parents have to play.Alyce Mutamuliza, 41, an entrepreneur and mother of four, said she teaches her children to embrace the reading culture. She advises parents to use their free time at home and cultivate reading culture by being exemplary in front of their children.“A book is the best gift I always give and my children are coping well with regular reading,” Mutamuliza said.She said reading of entrepreneurship books is what made her a successful entrepreneur. Available opportunitiesDespite complaints that students and Rwandans in general do not have books to read, the few that are available in the books shops are not even being purchased that much.Besides, Rwanda Education Board (Reb) now has a plan to avail more books under the mobile library programme. Joyce Musabe, the Reb deputy director-general, said the board has established eight mobile libraries across the country, each equipped with 1,200 books for the public use. For schools, Reb has signed contracts with publishers to deliver reading and other learning and teaching materials to schools. Kigali Public Library, which was opened last year, is also helping both schools and the general public to embrace reading. Recently, Jennifer Turatsinze, the director of the Kigali Public Library, told The New Times that individuals can read from the library or borrow after subscription of Rwf10,000 for adults or half that figure for children. Schools and institutions subscribe with Rwf200,000 per year. The library is equipped with more than 45,000 books, on top of online materials. Through various stakeholders in the education sector, the library has started a mass campaign for schools to subscribe for books. Turatsinze, however, said many schools go for teaching materials as compared to the almost zero demand for anything that is non-academic.

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What is the future of the reading culture in the country?