Uganda to host International Reading conference

Jan 09, 2005

UGANDA is to host an international reading conference. The two day Conference on the theme<br>‘Propagating Literacy at the Grassroots’ will be hosted at the Pope Paul Memorial Community Centre, Rubaga between January 18 and 19.

By Joe Nam

UGANDA is to host an international reading conference. The two day Conference on the theme
‘Propagating Literacy at the Grassroots’ will be hosted at the Pope Paul Memorial Community Centre, Rubaga between January 18 and 19.

The organisers, the Reading Association of Uganda (RAU) say it will draw 300 participants comprising of academics, librarians, community leaders and development partners, from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, United Kingdom, United States and Canada.

The Prime Minister Prof Apollo Nsibambi is expected to open the conference.

“The purpose of this conference is to examine the various ways that will ensure that education for all results into reading for all,” the chief organiser Sam Andema said.
“We are bringing the stakeholders, who believe in the importance of reading to discuss ways of improving the appaling state of the reading culture,” he added.

Andema said that over 11 million Ugandans, who can neither read nor write meant that a large fraction of the community is automatically excluded from benefiting from any printed information that could be of use to them.

He said the improvement in enrollment levels at schools in Uganda was a positive sign, but many children still leave primary school unable to read and cannot effectively rely on reading skills for betterment. He said young adults join universities as poor readers.

And some cannot read at all! They later graduate, but have no impact on society.

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