Papua New Guinea's KOPKOP College Primary school principal Satchell Ben says there has been a decline in the number of students engaged in reading recently.
He highlighted this during National Book Week celebration last week from Aug 8-10 under the theme, “Click on a book, pick up a book, read”.
“Some parents fear the increased technology has gotten in the way of children’s traditional love for reading.
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There is decline in reading among students, says PNG School Principal [Photo supplied] |
“However, we can actually use this technology to capture the interest that the children have in a tablet or a mobile phone to access literature.
“Starting from this week and onwards, take advantage of the technology that you have and click on a book, pick up a book and read, do that and make it a lifelong habit,” Ben said.
During the celebration, students were involved in activities such as learning the importance of books and how technology could be used to access reading books.
Ben encouraged students to take reading seriously.
Book Week committee and primary school teacher Pauline Kankonaru said one way of encouraging students to start reading was to have mini-libraries in their classrooms.
“PNG needs to be open-minded about the importance of books and reading,” she said.
“We need to educate the younger generations to love books and enjoy reading.”
The National / #PNGOnlineSchool
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