Africa-Press – Botswana. Reading is a key feature of learning as well as a fundamental skill to develop a human being, Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Ms Annah Mokgethi has said.
Minister Mokgethi said this at a donation ceremony of 48 000 books in commemoration of the World Reading Day at Morula Primary School in Gaborone recently.
The books were donated by St John Ambulance in conjunction with Books for Africa, to all primary schools in Gaborone and each will get 1 550.
Ms Mokgethi encouraged Batswana to rekindle the desire to read because it transcended class.
“Every child should develop a lifelong love of literature not only to decode, segment but also blend with ease. The reading culture lies at the heart of the curriculum and helps in all aspects of life including personal, social and academic success,” she said.
She added that reading brought with it numerous benefits, among them giving people the opportunity to explore the new world and meet new people both real and imagined.
“It expands knowledge and understanding. It strengthens mental capacity or muscles as it engages the brain. Reading is for entertainment, educational and informative as it could be used as a teaching tool to learn different subjects,” she said.
However, Ms Mokgethi said there was a challenge in reading because of competition with social media, which included X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, television and other new technologies.
For his part, St John Ambulance representative, Brigadier Ezekiel Malenya said March was considered a month of reading.
Brig. Malenya reiterated that they were encouraging development of a culture of literacy and advocating knowledge in communities, starting from early childhood, saying reading any book would help them pass.
“Most children fail not because they do not understand, but because sometimes English becomes a challenge and if they read books in English, they are bound to pass,” he said.
He also encouraged all people regardless of age, to read on a regular basis, saying it took responsibility of an individual, dedication, perseverance and effort to read.On one hand, he indicated that St John Ambulance offered comprehensive first aid and training courses for schools.
“We empower educational institutions to save lives by providing first aid training,” he said. “We also encourage people to plant and nature trees so that they benefit the next generation and we provide life skills to children to build character.”
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
