Libraries: Treasure troves for student development

KUWAIT: School libraries are fundamental for providing supplementary education for students, especially elementary school students, to help develop their reading and writing skills. Not only do school libraries reinforce the student’s reading and writing capabilities, but they also provide them with research skills and adjust their behavior accordingly. Director of School Libraries Administration at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Education (MoE) Ahmad Al-Majdi, in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), said that “a school library has an essential role in education.”

School libraries are not only for the lending of books; they also organize informative lectures to benefit the student body as well as educational workshops. Libraries contribute to student skill acquisition of helpful information through qualified and recognized sources throughout all school levels, added Al-Majdi. He noted that school libraries in elementary schools total 283 libraries and play a massive part in aiding teachers with the right informative tools and resources to benefit both the curriculum being taught and the student receiving the lesson.

Furthermore, Al-Majdi said the Library Administration launched the “A Writer in My Library” initiative, which aims to provide informative methodologies in the fields of both the arts and sciences. He explained that this initiative calls on students and teachers to develop rapport within school libraries, where storytelling, writing, and learning about history are highlighted topics. Additionally, Al-Majdi added that another project titled “School Library Criteria Classification” aims to create an educationally charged and competitive environment for students, as seen in the annual MoE’s Arabic reading competitions. — KUNA