Youths
By Talatu Maiwada
Abuja, April 5, 2018(NAN)Youth Initiative for sustainable Human Development (YISDAH) a NGO, has called on government at all levels to invest in public libraries to reawaken reading culture among youths in the country.
Mr Yaba Joseph, the President of the Organisation made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of the 2018 Book Reading Day on Thursday in Abuja.
Yaba said the need to promote effective reading habits among young people through the use of libraries “cannot be overemphasised’’, adding that poor reading skills could affect personality and self-esteem.
“Reading is an activity which helps to develop the mind personality of human beings and ultimately enriches their intellectual lives.
“As young people learn to enjoy reading, learning becomes relevant, that way their reading ability and self-concept improve.
“Reading helps young people have mastery of their lives and situations of life; it also helps them achieve greater control, increased independence and greater sense of self-worth.
“Reading helps develop soft skills and mastery of language, extents knowledge and assists in academic work.
“Statistics has shown that students who read are likely to have a background knowledge and familiarity with new topics or subjects and thus find learning easier and more interesting,’’ he said.
Yaba said public and school libraries form an integral part of educational development in children and youths, fundamental to the design, implementation and attainment of educational excellence.
He said that without the support of efficient libraries, schools could not successfully achieve the goals of education.
Highlighting benefits of an efficient library, he said libraries provided access to reading materials through which school children and youths could gain and improve their skills.
He said libraries provide materials that offered more extensive and varied information than classroom study and helped to develop reflective thinking and creativity.
Yaba said Liberians could help young people develop values, attitudes and independent thinking through exposure to wide variety of instructional resources and learning opportunities. (NAN)
TIM/GY
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Edited by Grace Yussuf