Premier Cho visits Kaohsiung children's book fair to promote rural reading education

Premier Cho Jung-tai traveled south to Kaohsiung today to personally attend and tour the grandly scaled Children and Youth Carnival Book Fair. During the event, Cho appeared alongside Director Franck Paris of the French Office in Taipei and surprised students from Taitung's Taoyuan Junior High School by reading an engaging picture book aloud. This cultural and reading celebration not only captured the attention of numerous citizens and students, but through the Premier's practical actions and interactions, also conveyed the nation's high regard for reading education among children and adolescents. Reading is not merely a pathway to acquiring knowledge; it is also a crucial cornerstone for inspiring creativity and cultivating independent critical thinking. Through transnational cultural exchange and substantive support for book purchases, this event provided a profound and heartwarming cultural experience for students from remote townships.

During a highlight of the event, Cho Jung-tai and French Office in Taipei Director Franck Paris collaborated to read a selected picture book story to the children and teenagers present. The attendance of the French Office director added a rich international cultural color to the domestic children's book fair, symbolizing the ongoing exchange and close cooperation between Taiwan and France in the fields of culture and education. Through vivid reading performances, the two guests led the children at the scene into the fantastical world of the picture book, bringing words and illustrations to life through the fluctuations of their voices. This interactive approach to promoting reading not only effectively enhances children's interest in reading, but also allows them to experience the unique charm of reading transcending borders and languages, further broadening the children's international horizons and multicultural inclusivity.

Beyond the wonderful reading session, Cho Jung-tai demonstrated a deep concern for remote education and disadvantaged students at the venue. He specially presented each student in attendance from Taitung's Taoyuan Junior High School with a book voucher worth NTD 500, encouraging the children to freely choose books they love at the book fair. For students from remote schools with relatively limited resources, this book voucher is not only substantive material support, but also an admission ticket to the vast ocean of knowledge. Through this heartwarming gesture, the Premier concretely implemented the government's efforts to balance the educational gap between urban and rural areas, ensuring that children in remote areas also have equal opportunities to change their futures through reading and to build the most solid foundation of energy for their lives.

During interactions and exchanges with the students at the scene, Cho Jung-tai specially encouraged the young audience to cultivate good reading habits. He pointed out that the knowledge and wisdom contained within books are the most precious and unique assets in life. Unlike material wealth, which may be lost due to various external factors, the knowledge, character, and critical thinking accumulated in one's mind through reading constitute a valuable wealth that no external force can take away. The Premier hopes that accompanied by these books, children will be able to spend a fulfilling period of education and possess sufficient resilience and wisdom to meet various challenges when facing a rapidly changing world in the future.

In recent years, the Executive Yuan and related ministries have continued to promote various cultural rooting and reading promotion policies, attempting to fundamentally elevate the reading literacy of the entire citizenry. Judging from the Premier's personal attendance at the children's book fair, the government not only provides resource support at the policy level, but also uses its high level of attention to play a demonstrative role, awakening all sectors of society to the importance of the reading environment for children and adolescents. The cultivation of reading capability cannot be achieved overnight; it requires the long-term investment and companionship of families, schools, and government departments. With the continuous infusion of resources from all sectors and the ongoing organization of quality cultural events such as the Children and Youth Carnival Book Fair, Taiwan's next generation will be able to grow and thrive in a richer and more diverse literary environment.

The Kaohsiung Children and Youth Carnival Book Fair concluded successfully, witnessed and participated in by the Premier and distinguished guests from all walks of life. It not only injected a wave of warmth into the arts and cultural sector during the winter season, but also sowed the seeds of a love for reading in the children's hearts. Through transnational cultural exchange, the investment of substantive book-purchasing resources, and the earnest encouragement of officials directed at the students, the event transcended a mere book exhibition and sale, elevating into a cultural and educational practice participated in by the entire public. In the future, the government and private organizations will continue to work hand in hand to create more diverse opportunities for promoting reading, ensuring that every child can bravely pursue their dreams and forge their own bright future under the nourishment of books.

(Source: Central News Agency)