Put on your fun caps: Literature festivals for teachers and children

‘We hope the festival becomes a movement for critical thinking’.

LAHORE:

The Third Teachers’ Literature Festival (TLF) and the 15th Children’s Literature Festival (CLF) will open for the public at the Children’s Library Complex from November 27 to November 29. This was announced at the a press conference at the Children’s Library Complex on Tuesday.

The festivals have been organised by the Idara-i-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) and the Oxford University Press (OUP) in collaboration with the Open Society Foundations (OSF), the Children’s Library Complex and the School Education Department.



Baela Raza Jamil, a founding member of the CLF and programmes director at the ITA, said such festivals were part of a social movement to change the country’s education system. “We want to demonstrate what works to capture the hearts and minds of our children, youth, teachers and parents.”

Jamil said educators should take inspiration from festivals like the CLF and integrate them in their daily classroom practices. Some school systems are already replicating these activities, she said.

The Teachers’ Literature Festival will be held on November 27, for the first time in Lahore. As many as 1,500 to 2,000 teachers are expected to take part in the festival. Jamil said the festival aimed to promote reading and critical thinking in classrooms and schools.

OSF Senior Programmes Officer Nargis Sultana said the Teachers’ Literature Festival will provide teachers an opportunity to voice their views.

She said they hoped to generate awareness regarding best practices for teachers through professional interaction and workshops. “We hope that Children’s Literature Festival becomes a national movement for critical thinking, creativity and learning beyond textbooks.”

Adeel Hashmi, ambassador for the CLF, said he was honoured to be part of the festival. “In a country where unfortunately education is rarely prioritised, such events are a breath of fresh air.”

Idara-i-Taleem-o-Aagahi chairperson Dr Narmeen Hamid said children deserved opportunities to enjoy away from the cares of classrooms and schools.



She said it was essential to inculcate a sense of fun and enjoyment in the process of learning.

“The CLF provides such an opportunity. It is not only important for schools to attend the festival but also to implement such activities in their schools.”

Dr Hamid said such events and activities helped cultivate a culture of reading and writing.

Events at the festival include read-and-sing-along stories, theatre, skits, puppet shows, poetry recitals, book launches and plenary sessions and workshops.  Zehra Nigah, Haseena Moin, Samina Ahmed, Raza Kazim, Nadia Jamil, Adeel Hashmi, Khaled Anam, Ali Hamza and Zubeida Mustafa among others will participate.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Minister for Education Rana Mashhood have been invited to inaugurate the CLF.

The teachers’ and children’s festivals will be open for all schools from 9am to 5pm.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 19^th, 2014.