The Bangka Belitung Islands provincial government has urged rural communities in the region to increase their interest in reading to broaden their horizons and thereby, contribute to regional welfare.

“We need to encourage rural communities’ interest in reading because it is known to be lower compared to the general public in urban areas,” Head of the Bangka Belitung Islands Archives and Library Office Rakhmadi said here on Wednesday.

The low interest in reading among village residents is due to limited access to information services and information technology, he observed.

“With such conditions, village communities cannot be on par with urban communities, especially (those in) big cities in Indonesia,” he added.

According to Rakhmadi, major cities such as Jakarta and Yogyakarta have become the standard for cities with communities that have a high interest in reading. Generally, people who live in big cities have a high interest in reading, as reflected by the thriving creativity to innovate, he said.

“The target of (increasing) interest in reading is to improve the welfare of the people in the region,” he added.

To tackle the low public interest in reading, his office is coordinating with all heads of local governments in Bangka Belitung Islands.

“A program that does have the assistance resources is very hard to realize, for example, the lack of library services in villages,” he said.

Building cooperation between the government and organizations, such as the Reading Interest Publicization Movement (GPMB), is necessary to support public interest in reading, especially in rural areas, he added.

“I hope that GPMB will become a driving force for rural communities to increase interest in reading,” he remarked.

Based on data, community interest in reading in Bangka Belitung Islands was recorded at 61.81 percent in 2021, and the number is targeted to increase by the end of 2022.

Source: Antara News