Wardiman hails W. Java reading session campaignd
Wardiman hails W. Java reading session campaignd
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman
Djojonegoro has applauded the decision of the West Java
provincial legislative council to schedule mandatory reading
sessions for its employees.
"The initiative reflects their need to enhance their work
performance," Wardiman said yesterday.
He was referring to a program of regularly scheduled reading
sessions, twice a week, for civil servants at the secretariat of
the West Java legislative council. Compliance would result in
further career advancement, Republika reported yesterday.
The daily quoted Redjaningrum Rahmat, head of the secretariat,
as saying that employees have to spend at least 30 minutes
reading on Tuesday and Friday. "The secretariat staff members
need adequate knowledge so that they can support the legislative
council leaders and members in making the best decisions,"
Redjaningrum said.
In addition, the employees have to make written reports about
the titles and content of the books that they read.
Wardiman said such action was needed to generate interest in
reading among civil servants and he hoped the reading program
would be initiated elsewhere in Indonesia.
He said that for most Indonesians, reading was of lower
priority than watching movies or dining out.
"Civil servants seeking books from the library of National
Institute of Sciences and the National Library are showing their
efforts to improve the quality of their knowledge and skills," he
said.
Wardiman said professionals from various fields always tried
to make time to read despite their busy schedules because of the
importance of keeping abreast of the latest developments in their
professions.
However, head of the National Library Mastini Hardjoprakoso
said the reading program for civil servants would not necessarily
guarantee the intended results.
She said the civil servants' busy work schedules, access to a
library and availability of books related to their work must also
be taken into consideration.
The number of people participating in reading programs was
usually limited, Hardjoprakoso said, and often the participants
were only guided in what books to read.
The reading program would normally only be implemented at a
regional level rather than nationwide, she said.
Hardjoprakoso said that ideally government offices should have
their own working libraries for employees to use but these were
far and few between. She named the well-stocked National
Institute of Administration library as an example of a good
library.
Escalating paper prices, budgetary constraints and ignorance
on the part of administrative heads, in spite of an available
budget, hampered the possibility of improved reading habits among
civil servants, she said.
She said parents must instill in their children good reading
habits early on in order to improve their academic performance.
This was a better option than instilling reading habits in civil
servants who are already adults, she said. (01)