Asia Foundation donates 8,000 books in Rajshahi

The Asia Foundation (TAF) distributed around 8,000 books worth around Tk 70 lakh at free of cost to 40 educational institutions in Rajshahi on Monday.

TAF organised the book donation ceremony at Rajshahi College auditorium largely attended by students, teachers and others concerned. Main thrust of the event was to encourage love of reading and to introduce TAF's new Digital Initiative for Children Let's Read.

Deputy Commissioner Abdul Jalil addressed the ceremony as the chief guest, while TAF Country Representative Kazi Faisal Bin Seraj and Principal of Rajshahi College Professor Abdul Khaleque spoke as special guests.

District Primary Education officer Saidul Islam, Retired Head Teacher of Buddhi Protibondhi and Autistic School Kalpana Roy Bhowmick, TAF Senior Programme Manager Sukla Dey and Program Officer Saiful Awal also spoke on the occasion.

In his remarks, Abdul Jalil said books enlighten people and easy and creative books are essential for the mental development of children.

He mentioned that books help people to acquire knowledge about the outside world and underscored the need for reaching books at the doorsteps of the readers to encourage them to read.

Expressing his thanks to TAF, Abdul Jalil urged the book recipient schools and colleges to the best uses of the donated books in terms of acquiring knowledge.

Professor Abdul Khaleque said students should develop a good reading habit for a life-long learning experience. Reading is important because it stimulates students' minds with enriched thinking power.

Without reading, one's thinking ability, personality and intellectuality cannot be expanded and a good nation cannot be built, he added.

Taking part in the discussion, Kazi Faisal Bin Seraj mentioned that there is no substitute for reading books in the practice of knowledge-science. Students of every educational institution in the district should spread the habit of reading books.

He continued that the development of reading habits brings some advantages to our students. First, a good habit is assumed to be able to improve an individual's characteristics as a better person, to increase our knowledge and ability in using the language.