Jakarta (Antara Babel) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) met several activists engaged in promoting the reading culture across Indonesia, Tuesday, to discuss improvements in education for children in the remote areas.
"I think that reading is indispensable for children living anywhere, especially, in remote areas and villages," he said during a gathering with Inspirational Literacy Activists at the State Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday.
He expressed appreciation for the efforts being made by the activists to encourage people to become smarter, intelligent and open their minds through reading activities.
A few activists shared their experiences with the president about ways to foster the reading habit among the country's communities, such as by using various initiatives to visit and invite people to read, and deliver books to children.
"Please give a lot of books as souvenirs to the activists," he told Muhadjir Effendy, Minister of Education and Culture, during the event.
Jokowi stressed that the struggles of the activists who come from remote areas must be communicated to the public to inspire them to support efforts to improve the reading culture in the society.
"Our children must have a chance to read," he stated.
During the event, he received a token bag containing several books from Misbach Surbakti, an activist from Manokwari, West Papua province.
A total of 39 people from several districts such as Tasikmalaya, Buton Island, Wonogiri, Polewali Mandar, Purbalingga and Manggarai Barat attended the meeting that began at 11 a.m. local time.
Some activists had also brought and parked the public vehicles used to serve as mobile libraries in the courtyard of the State Palace.
