Reem Nafie reports on recent efforts to encourage literacy and education amongst young people This year's Cairo International Children's Book Fair (CICBF) was about much more than books. The fair -- which ended on Tuesday -- also featured workshops encouraging children to read, draw and paint; young would-be authors were also given the chance to write their own short stories and mingle with established writers, who provided them with tips on their story-telling skills. The CICBF is part of a comprehensive plan meant to develop literacy skills amongst Egyptian children; for over a decade, Mrs Suzanne Mubarak -- who inaugurated the fair's 22nd round -- has spearheaded several national campaigns to combat illiteracy and encourage children to read. "This project has created a cultural breakthrough worldwide," Mrs Mubarak said in her inaugural speech, "as no other country has ever offered such a subsidised project for children, making books available for all classes of society at affordable prices." Mrs Mubarak took a two-hour tour of the fair along with General Book Authority head Nasser El-Ansari, who explained that, "when the Cairo International Book Fair was first initiated, children's books were only one wing of the entire fair; they were given an entire hall in 1979. A fully-fledged children's book fair began in 1984." In parallel, the Egyptian publishing industry has been undergoing a transformation that has focused on providing reading material for children as young as the kindergarten stage. Accordingly, the number of children's books, publishers and public libraries has also increased. Mrs Mubarak also recently spearheaded an initiative with French publishers, which will increase the availability of French books for children in Egypt; Arabic language books will also be translated into French. Subsequent deals are being planned to make more English, German and Spanish books available as well. A scholarship in Mrs Mubarak's name was also launched earlier this week for top graduates of public schools. The scholarship was announced during the American University in Cairo (AUC)'s alumni gala dinner on Saturday. "Education is the centre of our vision in realising our hopes and dreams for the future," Mrs Mubarak told the attendees. "It is the pathway to deepen the democratic reform process."
