Surabaya (Antara Jatim) - Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini has underscored the importance of striking a balance between technology and a culture of reading so that children can retain and nurture their ability of imagination and imbibe creativity.
"Ideally, technological progress and a culture of reading should be balanced. That's why I always encourage the Library and Archives Board to boost the reading culture in the community, particularly among children," she said after launching Surabaya Acceleration at Sawunggaling Building here on Wednesday.
"What is happening now is that children are being acquainted with technology since their childhood," she stated.
She noted that a habit of reading shapes children's character. A lot of reading ensures that children are accustomed to developing their imagination more freely.
Citing an example, she said when children read a sentence like "The bird has a melodious voice," they will imagine how melodious is the bird's voice.
"By reading books and developing imagination, the children will be able to develop creative thinking. We must develop human resources that are able to survive, whatever the circumstances be," she added.
The mayor, who won an Ideal Mother award from Cairo University, said the Surabaya city government is highly concerned about the issue and will support the revival of a culture of literacy in the city.
Surabaya now has more than one thousand libraries/reading galleries, found in kampongs, schools, city parks, Islamic boarding schools and mobile libraries, she noted. (*)
Surabaya Mayor Calls for Balance Between Technology and Reading Culture
Kamis, 25 Agustus 2016 8:50 WIB
Ideally, technological progress and a culture of reading should be balanced. That's why I always encourage the Library and Archives Board to boost the reading culture in the community, particularly among children