International Literacy Day - September 8:

Reading - the key to knowledge 

The importance of reading has been stressed down the generations and as the famous author Sir Francis Bacon said, “Reading maketh a fullman .” Libraries, schools and teachers point out the importance of reading as part of classroom education for children because numerous studies have shown that students who are exposed to reading before preschool are more likely to do well in all facets of formal education.

Even though the majority of the people know the true value of reading, not everyone in the world can read;some cannot read even their own names leave alone books or any other reading material. In order to be able to read a person has to be literate. And millions of people around the world have not learnt to read or write. This means they could never experience the magical world the written word in books open up at the flick of a page.

It is with the objective of focusing on issues related to illiteracy around the world that the United Nations’ (UN) International Literacy Day is observed annually on September 8 . So , while contributing our mite to promote literacy levels of the people around the globe , let’s focus on some benefits you can reap by not only developing the skills to read and write but also by cultivating the habit of reading books and other printed matter which encompasses a wealth of knowledge .

Everyone says reading is important for children than watching television or playing video games. But why should you accept this? Here’s why... Reading is one of the best ways to learn a language. The proper grammar, punctuation, and word usage in story books and other written forms,will encourage you to learn without even trying . It will also increase your vocabulary skills. It may be no secret that reading increases your vocabulary and improves your spelling, but did you know that reading increases your vocabulary more than talking or direct teaching? Reading forces you to look at words that you might not have seen or heard before. Reading will definitely improve your writing skills. The more you read, the better you’ll become at writing. And the benefits do not end there. You can sharpen your analytical mind and expand the horizon of imagination till you become lost in fantasy!

Reading is also a great way to relax and reduce stress because in today’s competitive world, you have to undergo a lot of stress even as children. Reading, in general, makes you smarter, and keeps you sharp as you age. It has been proven that those who read have higher intelligence and general knowledge than those that don’t. Remember, no matter what you want to do or become in life , you cannot do it without acquiring more knowledge. Reading is an excellent way to get where you are aiming to go. So, get interested in reading from an early age and set the stage for greater achievement and learning for decades to come.

Today we publish the views of some of our readers on the value of reading...

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[Books are precious than gold]

Reading is important to us in many ways. Books contain something more precious than gold. Some may consider reading as boring, but it is a popular hobby. Many famous people in the world had been ardent readers, when they were children. This proves that the saying “Reading maketh a full man” is correct.

There are many types of books such as fiction, biographies, short stories and poetry. They all enrich different faculties in our brain. There are two forms of reading; Loud reading and silent reading. It saddens me to think that nowadays, children have no time to read books as they are busy surfing the web and watching television. I believe that children must start reading books even in a small way as it helps to become more educated.

There are many advantages of reading because books contain good ideas and valuable information.

We can learn many new words, improve our language skills, enhance our knowledge about many things including some of the world’s famous authors.A person who is reading books has many bright ideas and he can face society with courage.Reading improves our personal skills too.

Even tough there are many books to read I would like to warn children to be selective of the books they read. Read books that are suitable for your age.

As children we must make it our responsibility to read books without wasting time .

Thilini Liyanage,
Grade 9,
St. Lawrence’s Convent.

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[Books enrich our lives]

Books are just like our hearts which enrich our lives with blood. We read books because they give us a wealth of knowledge to enrich our lives.Some books teach us the importance of courtesy and discipline. Books also teach us how to write letters, words and sentences.

I consider books to be my friends. I learn so much by reading them. I enjoy reading storybooks but there are many kinds of books to read. There are fiction and non-fiction storybooks, autobiographies and many other books of educational value. Dictionaries also help us improve our knowledge.Some people do not like books. They are actually losers because they miss out on enhancing their knowledge. If we want to be successful in life we must cultivate the habit of reading.

Kawya Ruwanmi Rajasekara,
Grade 5, Buwanekabahu College,
Maharagama.

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[I enjoy reading]

Sir Francis Bacon has said, “Reading maketh a full man” and there is a lot of truth in this statement.My hobby is reading. It is an ideal way to improve my knowledge on various subjects. However, day-by-day the habit of reading is diminishing among schoolchildren. This is a very sad state of affairs.

Reading helps students to spend their leisure in a useful manner.A book can be regarded as a good companion, and children should be encouraged to read.

Various types of reading materials are available today. We can read newspapers, magazines and storybooks to improve our knowledge.Most students do not have any time to read books, because everyday after school, they attend tuition classes.Another reason they do not read is television. It has become a great distraction for the promotion of the habit of reading. We must try to cultivate the habit of reading from our young days.

Uththara Medhani Rupasiri,
Grade 9B,
C.W.W. Kannangara MMV, Mathugama.

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[A taste for reading]

A taste for reading is an inexhaustible source of pleasure, which adds to our happiness and prosperity and also consoles us in adversity.

Books may be somewhat expensive in general but there are plenty of books which are not so expensive. And so this taste could be indulged at very little expense. Very few are so poor that they cannot afford the small sum of money needed to buy a book. The priceless work of many a great writer may be bought at a reasonable price when compared to many other things which are very expensive. Sometimes the price does not match the value of the item on sale. In the case of books, the value and price are almost in reverse proportions. Sometimes the prices of books don’t match the contents.

The entire works of Shakespeare could be bought for just a few rupees, while ten times as high a price is asked for a couple of volumes of a new novel, that will be skimmed through by the reader and then consigned to everlasting oblivion. If we are fortunate enough to have access to a free library, we have the privilege of reading a large number of the best books without any expense to ourselves.Books provide not only knowledge but also entertainment. Reading is the most significant hobby among the people. Knowledge can be improved by reading books. When you read a lot of books you will be able to get a good understanding of various new things.

K. Dilakshan,
Grade 11A,
Sri Ramakrishna National School.

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