… Jakarta residents fairly love to read and (this) should continue to be improved.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Jakarta Provincial Library and Archives Office is striving to improve the quality of human resources (HR) by promoting literacy and the love of reading among the public.

“(Under) This government program, in addition to physical (infrastructure) development, there is also non-physical development, which is improving the quality of human resources, so one of the efforts is how to increase literacy, in this case, the love of reading," head of the office, Wahyu Haryadi, said here on Friday.

Based on research, the habit of reading among Jakarta residents is already fairly strong at 72.89 percent, he noted. However, he said, this figure must be further increased.

"We, together with the academicians, have conducted surveys in recent years. In 2021, the survey, with indicators of reading duration, frequency, and the number of collections read, showed a high score, 72.89 percent. This means that the Jakarta residents fairly love to read and (this) should continue to be improved," he explained.

To help promote the love of reading among Jakartans, Haryadi said that his office has brought reading materials closer to the community with the help of libraries spread throughout the capital, such as the newly revitalized Jakarta Library at Taman Ismail Marzuki, Cikini, Central Jakarta, as well as community reading parks and child-friendly integrated public spaces (RPTRA).

Moreover, Haryadi pointed out that efforts to improve literacy are not only targeted at adults but also children, and they have manifested in the form of child-friendly spaces and book collections for different age groups, such as for under five, over five, to 12 years old children, at the Jakarta Library.

Since 2019, the Jakarta provincial government has been holding a reading challenge activity to promote reading, although it was shifted online in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Translator: Suci N, Kenzu T
Editor: Sri Haryati
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