Siti Zainon: Students must have access to local literature
KUALA LUMPUR: Students must be allowed more access to literary material in an effort to cultivate a love of literature among the young, says 14th national laureate Dr Siti Zainon Ismail.
According to her, students all this while have not been exposed to local literature which is an important source of information in developing future leaders.
“The leaders of the tomorrow must know what literature is all about and be more aware of its beauty, moral truth and aesthetic excellence.
“These literary works are for the nation and people to understand and appreciate. Though they may be old, much can be learnt from classical literature works,” she added.
Among Siti Zainon’s literary works are Rekabentuk Kraftangan Melayu Tradisi, published by DBP in 1986, Percikan Seni (DBP 1989), Alam Puisi (DBP 1990) and Kasih Bonda dan Kampung Paya Kam (DBP 2008).
Siti Zainon, who is the second woman to receive the national literary award after Datuk Dr Zurinah Hassan, said women played an important role in nurturing positive values through literary works.
Born in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 18, 1949, Siti Zainon, an alumnus of Sekolah Aminuddin Baki, Kuala Lumpur, went to Akademi Seni Rupa Indonesia in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from 1969 to 1974 where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Since 1985, she has written over 20 books on culture and cultural studies, widely used as reference material for students and practitioners locally and abroad. — Bernama