Indonesia: School libraries to nurture love of reading
Using school libraries to encourage reading and strengthen education outcomes in Indonesian rural farming communities.
One key challenge to ensure long-term prospects for rural farming communities is to provide children with a solid education that will enable the next generations to thrive. The knowledge and skills children obtain while growing up form the foundation on which they can build their future livelihoods.
Improving access to reading and education
On the island of Sulawesi, smallholder farmers produce patchouli, a key natural ingredient used in perfumery. In these production areas, one barrier to quality primary education is limited access to books, both at home and at school. This restricts children’s ability to develop reading habits and build language skills. Research consistently shows that school libraries can significantly improve reading skills, particularly for young children and in communities where access to age-appropriate books is limited.
Supporting literacy through school libraries
To help children develop a love and routine of reading, we started to establish school libraries at primary schools in 2018. The project is conducted in partnership with an Indonesian non-governmental organisation. The project establishes school libraries and equips them with books, trains teachers in managing the libraries (conducting regular reading activities and running book check-out so students can take books home), and engages parents through awareness sessions. To date, 13 school libraries have been opened, benefiting 1,500 school children and more than 150 teachers.
Our local partner is also running an empowerment programme for middle-school aged girls, with topics like public speaking, financial literacy, digital literacy, and physical and mental health.
“We let the kids visit the library and every day they don’t want to leave. We even have to tell them to go home!”
Ms. Rahmania, School Principal in Katoi
Watch the video to virtually visit one of the school library:
