50,000 Book Exhibits in 50,000 Schools

The 19th edition of ‘50,000 Exhibitions in 50,000 Schools’ was inaugurated at Yarjani Vocational School in Tehran, District 19, on November 1 as part of the national Book Week in Iran.

The ceremony was attended by Homayoun Amirzadeh, senior official at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Hamidreza Kaffash, cultural deputy at the Education Ministry, and a number of officials, IRNA reported.

The event is held prior to the Book Week which is organized every year from November 14-20.

“One of the main concerns of the Culture Ministry is to raise the level of reading among school students. Providing students with books and encouraging them to read more often is a strategic task in the field of culture and is being carried out by the two ministries of culture and education,” Amirzadeh said.

He noted that there were three books per student in the school libraries in mid-2013 but the number has increased to 10 books per student now. “It is a huge achievement in a period of 3.5 years and I hope the trend continues.”

He pointed to the increase in the number of book titles compared to the past years. “In 2013, there were 1,000 titles considered for book reading for students in schools by the Culture Ministry, which has risen to 4,700 titles this year.”

Emphasizing the importance of book reading which has been in the spotlight in recent years, Kaffash said, “Efforts have been made in this regard to further encourage students to read.” Holding exhibitions, equipping libraries and organizing book reading competitions are among the programs carried out in this respect.

There are 13 million schoolchildren in Iran and a total of 50,000 schools across the country are participating in the program.