Reading culture, cultivation and its promotion among pupils: a Kenyan perspective

Abstract

Promotion of a reading Culture aims to publicize reading among members of the general public. It is an activity that is meant to popularize reading and make it a lifelong hobby. The main objective of cultivating and promoting a reading culture is to make reading a habit that is appreciated and loved by citizens. It is therefore important to create awareness on the importance of reading for leisure and not necessarily to pass exams and to develop reading as a habit and culture. Without the opportunity to read widely, what is taught in the classroom cannot be reinforced. Consequently, pupils cannot develop skills of locating, selecting, organizing, manipulating, evaluating and processing information. Research has shown that those who read for examination lapse into illiteracy when they fail. In Kenya, most schools rely on library lessons to promote and cultivate the reading culture. Furthermore there are no policies in the Kenyan education system that encourages the promotion of reading culture. The reading habit is therefore promoted in a vacuum. Due to lack of a firm government policy, most schools have no libraries and adequate reading materials. This paper discusses the reading culture in Kenya and analyzes the efforts that are being undertaken to promote and cultivate the habit and there in suggests strategies which should be put in place in order to develop a reading culture in Kenya.