Deputy Minister of Education Pg Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Mohammad bin Pg Hj Abd Rahman yesterday said that reading up on materials that contain negative elements is not encouraged as it could affect the mind and soul of an individual to act on affairs that will damage the harmony within a community, the religion and the country.
He said this in his capacity as guest of honour during the launching of the Reading Month 2007, which was held at Radio Television Brunei. The event is organised by the Language and Literature Bureau.
"Brunei Darussalam as a fast developing country needs to broaden, strengthen and nurture its reading culture at all levels of the community. This should start from the household, where parents need to play an important role in educating their children in order to instil the interest of reading," he said.
"Every home should have a cupboard filled with books, rather than ornaments that are worth thousands of dollars," he said.
"Through the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, the government has provided a number of libraries in each district. To my knowledge, there are four community libraries being built, some of which are already being utilised, such as the ones in Muara town and in Kg Paadan.
"This demonstrates the steps the government has taken in its bid to strengthen the reading culture among communities," he added.
Educational institutions within the country also play a vital role in cultivating interest in reading among students.
"To ensure our country achieves a ‘developed country‘ status in the coming one to two decades, we need to produce educators, administrators, officers, lawyers, scientist and other groups in a knowledgeable, skilled and positive-thinking community. This can only be achieved through strong interest in reading," the deputy minister said.
Present at the ceremony were Permanent Secretary of the Culture, Youth and Sports Dato Paduka Hj Jemat bin Hj Ampal, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Culture, Youth and Sports Hj Ahmad bin Hj Abd Rahman and other ministerial officers.
Following the launch, the deputy minister unveiled the collection of new books published by the Language and Literature Bureau, and presented souvenirs to the authors.
The Reading Month runs from June 1 to July 2. Several activities have been planned to coincide with the reading month, including a group story telling competition and the Youth Excellency workshop.
Source: www.brunei-online.com (5 Juni 2007)
