Members of a group of educationists in Lagos have called on government and stakeholders in book publishing to revive the culture of reading among Nigerian students and pupils.
They made the call during an advocacy visit to some public schools in Lagos.Reading culture has been described as a learned practice of seeking information, knowledge or entertainment through the written words.
Many believe that it is important for children to develop the habit of reading early in their development.
But the culture is said to be undergoing major decline in most Nigerian schools, from basic to tertiary level.
Arthur Elendu, led a team of educators to create awareness in some public schools in Lagos, where they stressed the need to bring back the enthusiasm for children to read at least a book in a week.
Community primary school in Ketu was one of the schools they visited.
Factors such as lack of access to books and ill-equipped library are said to be some of the reasons for the decline in reading culture in schools.
Some of the pupils, who were privileged to own new books, shared their thoughts on what reading means to them.
These individuals believe that revival of reading culture can be achieved through collective efforts to educate and enlighten their loved ones and associates on the importance of reading.
