"The focus lies on early childhood education and primary school because the foundation for literacy comes from an early age," he noted here on Thursday.
If children are exposed to reading materials, they would develop an interest and habit that they would retain until they are old, he explained.
Literacy for early childhood education and primary school children should be developed correctly, starting from interest, implementation, and utilization. Moreover, a dialogue with adults, who read books to them, should also exist, he noted.
Literacy development should also be adjusted based on the children's age. For instance, kindergarten children, aged three years who cannot yet read, should be involved in reading aloud training, he said.
In relation to book availability, this year, the ministry focuses on procuring reading materials for early childhood education and primary school children, who are interested in them, whether in terms of content or illustration.
To anticipate large demand, the agency also conducts translation from foreign languages, Aziz added.
Currently, the number of books translated from foreign language stood at 1,375 titles and the ones translated from regional language reached 400 to 500 titles, he noted.
Moreover, the agency has established cooperation with Pratham Book from India that provides books free of cost, he noted.
"We also participate in cooperation with UNESCO to procure book for literacy," he noted.
In accordance with the policy from Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Minister Nadiem Anwar Makarim, a total of 540 books, with total exemplar of 12.7 million, had been printed, he said.
These books have already been distributed to the outermost, underdeveloped, and frontier (3T) areas across 12 provinces, he added.
In addition to distribution, guidance in relation to the books' utilization has also been conducted. In future, Aziz expects that the effort can bolster people's literacy capability in the country.
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Translator: Indriani, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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