A family examine some of the books on display at the International Children’s Book Day event, which ended on June 4. IBBY
Officials from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport have called for the Kingdom’s publishers to increase the quality of locally-produced children’s books.
Education specialists have reminded parents and guardians of their crucial role in instilling a love of reading from a young age as they noted that reading for pleasure appears to be on the decline.
Against the backdrop of the three days of the 8th International Children’s Book Day – organised from June 2-4 by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Cambodia at Boeung Trabek High School in Phnom Penh – Tun Saim, undersecretary of state at the education ministry, suggested that local publishers should improve their products.
“Publishers and authors should pay closer attention to the production of their wares, in order to attract increased public attention,” she said.
She added that books should be created to both entertain and educate readers.
“Increasing the quality of local publications will allow children to gain more knowledge and develop themselves. Each of the young people who participates in the book day fair – whether for entertainment or education – is improving themself,” she continued.
Saim explained that books have the power to share valuable information, so they should be well designed and easy to understand.
“Both the writing and the illustrations should represent the world accurately and avoid meanings and themes that could be misunderstood. The illustrations are also very important, as many children are drawn to pictures and images,” she concluded.
Huy Chheng Rattana, a representative of IBBY Cambodia, explained that the board was established in Switzerland in 1953, and currently has 80 members. It is an association of book lovers that is committed to developing the reading sector in Cambodia through activities that encourage children to participate for free.
“Our Cambodian members include publishers, editors, writers, artists, librarians, book distributors and educators.
“We have three main visions: To provide support to individuals and organisations working in the area of children’s books, education and other relevant fields, to encourage the development of links between Cambodia and other countries in the area of children’s books, and to promote the exchange of expertise relating to children’s books at a domestic and international level,” she added.
Kimsun Sotheary, director of the Reading Book, an organisation that publishes and distributes children’s books, told The Post that all of the works published and distributed by the organisation are verified and selected for their ability to attract the attention of children.
She was concerned that, although the books on display at the fair were of high quality, the popularity of reading appeared to still be in decline. She hoped that more and more people will encourage the valuable habit of reading, by buying books for kids and bringing them to book fairs, like the one organised by the IBBY.
“I worry at the decline in reading. I recently attended similar functions in Preah Sihanouk, Siem Reap and Tbong Khmum provinces, and people were largely uninterested. Nowadays, children are more likely to spend their time on their phone, rather than reading a book,” she said.
IBBY Cambodia organised the first event of International Children’s Book Day in Cambodia in 2013, with the focus mainly on books for young children. The event was participated in by several partner organisations, which provided entertainment and activities for the young guests.
This year’s 8th celebration included fun events as diverse as children’s short story performances, virtual world exercises, mobile library activities, quizzes, spelling tests, storytelling, reading, colouring and drawing.
Education ministry spokesman Ros Soveacha noted that the ministry’s development partners have played an important role in improving the quality of Cambodian human recourses in all forms.
“Boosting reading is one example. Reading is one of the foundations to improving the quality of education in Cambodia,” he said.
“The ministry welcomes and appreciates the positive cooperation from all stakeholders in promoting reading. Books are a window to the world, and help readers to see the world around them more clearly,” he concluded.
