On National Book Day, Khofifah urges reading to become a lifestyle for young people

Literacy is the primary foundation for national advancement. Therefore, a culture of reading must be cultivated from an early age to produce intelligent, critical, and well-rounded generations.

Surabaya (ANTARA) - The Governor of East Java (Jatim), Khofifah Indar Parawansa, invites the public to make reading a lifestyle in commemoration of National Book Day and the 46th anniversary of the National Library (Perpusnas), in order to strengthen literacy culture and improve human resource quality.

“Literacy is the primary foundation for national advancement. Therefore, a culture of reading must be cultivated from an early age to produce intelligent, critical, and well-rounded generations,” said Governor Khofifah in Surabaya on Sunday.

Khofifah stated that the commemoration of National Book Day, which is celebrated every 17 May, is inseparable from the history of the establishment of the Republic of Indonesia’s National Library in 1980. She added that this momentum serves as an important reminder of the importance of books and libraries as a means of building public knowledge.

According to her, improving literacy requires ongoing collaboration between families, educational institutions, the government, and all elements of society so that a culture of reading can grow widely.

In the digital era, she continued, literacy must develop adaptively through the use of e-books and audiobooks as part of modern literacy transformation.

“Literacy today is not just about reading, but also about the ability to understand, analyze, and filter information wisely. This is important so that people are not easily exposed to hoaxes and disinformation,” said Khofifah.

She affirmed that community-based literacy development through villages and sub-districts needs to be continuously strengthened through competitions and creative activities to increase public interest in reading.

Through the commemoration of National Book Day 2026, she invites the public to set aside time each day for reading as an effort to broaden their horizons and knowledge.

“Let’s set aside time every day to read. Because by reading, we can explore the world without having to go anywhere,” Khofifah invited.