Plat Tech, Iqra Books promote reading culture in Kwara schools

Parents and guardians of school pupils in rural areas have been urged to stop from interfering in the school attendance of their wards in primary and secondary schools.

This was the recurring message by speakers at the annual reading promotion organised by Plat Technologies and Iqra Books.

The event took place at the Ilota-Apaola Junior Secondary in Ilorin, Kwara state.

School pupils were drawn from Ilota-Apaola, Junior Secondary School, Omode, Junior Secondary, Fufu and Senior Secondary School, Omode.

Chairman, governing council, College of Education, Ilorin, Abdulraheem Aremu Olota, told the parents that the habit of disrupting school attendance of their wards by sending them to farm and markets is capable of truncating meaningful life of their wards later in life.

Olota urged the pupils to take advantage of the gesture of promoting reading culture being championed by Plat Technologies and Iqra Books. This, he said, can be demonstrated if the pupils read the books donated by the companies both for academic and leisure.

Principal of Ilota-Apaola, Malomo, thanked the organisers of the book reading for chosing her school. She promised that the school would live up to the billing of the organisers by making good use of the books donated to the school.

Kafayah Olani, branch head, National Library, Ilorin, specifically directed her speech to the parents.

She highlighted the importance of the sacrifice on their parts by refusing the temptation of sending their wards to the farms and markets instead of supporting them in their studies. This practice, she maintained, has been identified as the most negative behaviors’ of rural dwellers towards education of their wards.

Oba Abdulkadir Laaro of the department of mass communication who coordinated the events, said reading habits should be cultivated right from primary and secondary so as to build a solid foundation for future educational endeavours.

Iqra Books and Plat Technologies have supported book reading sessions at Ansarul Islam seondary school, Ogidi, Ilorin and Queen Elizabeth secondary school, Ilorin.

They also organise monthly book reading session for adults at Iqra Books, Tanke Junction in Ilorin.