Books needed in rural area schools

A total of 40,000 books are needed to help students in rural areas, officials from the the Ministry of Education said yesterday, urging more people to donate books to improve children's reading environment and abilities.

Students rural areas have poor access to reading materials, Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠), director of the ministry's Department of Elementary Education, said at a news conference to announce a book donation drive co-launched by the ministry and the Public Television Service.

Pan the inadequacy of books in remote areas to a lack of resources and the fact that many libraries were destroyed in the 921 earthquake in 1999, which killed 2,321 people and injured 6,534 others.

"Donating books will certainly benefit students in remote areas who desire to read," Pan said.

In addition to books, Pan said, "they [the children] also need concern, love and support of the whole society."

Pan donated books would be dispatched to 219 junior high schools with a total of 61,022 students in remote regions, including Nantou County, as well as Hualien and Taitung counties.

The ministry has recommended a list of 550 titles suitable for teens to read, Pan said, adding that donors could donate the books on the list to make their donations more meaningful.

Information the 219 schools is also posted online for reference, enabling donors to decide which school they want to send the books to, Pan said.

Using experience to encourage donations, Eric Wu (吳若權), a writer who spent his childhood in a remote village, said that "even if there is only one book, it can still arouse a child's interest in reading."

Wu published 73 titles of nonfiction and novels in Chinese, earning him great popularity among young readers in Taiwan.

To promote reading as an important part of school children's daily life, the ministry further encouraged elementary and junior high school students to spend more time reading.