CAIRO: The Egyptian NGO Support Center, which is under the authority of the Ministry of Social Solidarity, held a two-day workshop aimed at developing a program for improving books available to children and boosting their reading skills. The workshop on Jan. 14 and 15 at the Pyramisa Hotel was organized in cooperation with the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures. It was attended by NGOs and owners of public and private libraries. According to workshop participant Soheir Mahfouz, professor and researcher at Helwan University, much research as been conducted on children's books in university libraries, providing a scientific framework for how development in this area should be achieved. "However, the public is unaware of their existence, Mahfouz added. Mahfouz also added that the Egyptian education system needs to be "revised, as schools do not focus on making reading a core requirement by stipulating reading lessons in school libraries during the school day. As a result, independent reading beyond the strict demands of the curriculum is neglected, inhibiting the development of children s reading abilities. "Most of the time library classes are given to other subjects like English or Arabic, which makes students underestimate the importance of reading, Mahfouz added. During the workshop one of the participants suggested that the Ministry of Education cancel school books and instead provide the students with subjects to study, letting them conduct their own research on topics in the curriculum from books available in the library. This suggestion - although "unrealistic and practically impossible to implement, according to some participants - received cheers of support from almost everyone in the workshop. Among the suggestions made was to provide libraries that include coffee shops or restaurants. It was also suggested that children be given more freedom inside the library, allowing them to listen to music, use their mobile phones or talk with one another. However, some of the participants did not agree with this idea, claiming that this way youngsters will never acquire the accepted rules of conduct specific to public libraries. Hassan Khateb, who represented the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, said that the best way for youngsters to improve their reading habits is by teaching them to love writing. The workshop also announced that the Ministry of Social Solidarity, along with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has initiated a new program meant to enhance the quality of books present in school libraries, making them more interesting to students. One of the participants was, however, displeased with the workshop, saying it was a repetition of a previous one held few months ago, and demanded that the workshop focus on drafting a project that can be practically implemented.
