The Oxford University Press (OUP) Pakistan and the Idara-e-Taaleem-o-Agahi (ITA) held a press conference to mark the inauguration of the two-day national Children’s Literature Festival (CLF) which is to be held from November 24 to November 26.
Held between 10.00am to 5.00pm at the Children’s Library Complex (CLC), this event will be the first of its kind to be held in Pakistan. The conference would be jointly hosted by Baela Raza Jamil of ITA and Ameena Saiyid of OUP – founders and organisers of CLF. Children, authors, educators, and parents from all over the country and abroad would participate in the CLF. Many local and international celebrities, authors, publishers and well-known personalities who love books and are committed to propagating a culture of reading amongst children are on the guest list. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif would be the keynote speaker at the CLF inauguration.
CLF has been co-sponsored by the Foundation Open Society Institute, Children’s Library Complex, US Consulate Lahore, the British Council, Beaconhouse School System, Rose Petal, Atlas Group, and Engro Corp. CLF aims to promote reading, creativity and critical thinking among children. CLF is an initiative aimed at generating an interest in children for books, reading, writing, and literature.
The two-day CLF programme would feature talks and readings by popular children’s writers, provide opportunities for children to attend readings and discussions of their favourite books, learn tools for creative-writing, write book reviews, learn about publishing, attend puppet shows and children’s theatre, browse at a book fair, and participate in many fun-filled activities related to reading that will fire their imaginations. With a jam packed programme for the young participants of the event, for educators, the programme offers panel discussions on how to use library resources and supplementary readers to develop an interest in children for reading.
