Cape Verde aims to boost reading practices for enhanced communication and cognitive abilities
Cape Verde’s Minister of Culture, Abraão Vicente, addressed the issue of the “shortage of reading” in the country today.
He emphasized the crucial role of reviving this practice in elevating public discourse and cognitive capacities.
Vicente highlighted instances where certain people, including public institution leaders, struggle with articulation.
“It’s not merely poor use of Portuguese or language formulation. It pertains to the quality of thought, ideation, diction, and the semantic value of their expressions.”
“This is merely one illustration,” he explained in Praia at a ceremony commemorating the end of the inaugural national reading competition.
According to Vicente, lacking a culture of books and reading in the school curriculum leads to such examples.
It’s vital, he added, to reexamine this domain for enriching public dialogue and improving cognitive abilities among national and business leaders and throughout the private sector.
“Reading essentially equips civil society with additional contemporary interpretative tools. This event, involving over 5,000 enrolled students, conclusively disproves the notion that the younger generation is averse to reading,” he asserted.
The Minister underscored establishing a systematic reading culture among the new generation.
The primary aim of the National Reading Plan project, created by the Ministry of Culture and coordinated by the National Library and the National Directorate of Education, is to foster such a culture.
Vicente described the event as “the pinnacle of the National Reading Plan project, designed to embed reading into the daily routines of schools, families, and communities, acknowledging it as pivotal to holistic citizen development.”
Launched in January, the first edition of the National Reading Contest engaged over 5,000 students across the country and from 211 schools.
This free participation contest promotes reading, writing, and communication skills development and enhances Portuguese language proficiency for elementary and high school students.
The contest has shortlisted 15 students for the final round at Praia’s National Auditorium.
Matilde Santos, the President of the National Library of Cape Verde and the Reading Plan’s General Coordinator, acknowledged the event’s immense significance and promising prospects for the nation.
Given numerous claims of younger generations’ lack of interest in reading, she believed the competition could challenge this perception, which might not correspond to actual reality.
Santos expressed a desire for collaboration with universities to conduct a study to gauge Cape Verde’s literacy rate accurately.
“We’re confident that through these young participants, we’ll see a considerable literacy improvement in Cape Verde. With a competition of this scale, we’re bound to reap significant benefits in the future,” concluded the President.
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