Children’s Learning Festival kicks off at Arts Council

Sindh Minister for Information and Labour Saeed Ghani on Tuesday inaugurated a three-day Pakistan Learning Festival, also known as Children’s Learning Festival, which has been organised by the Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) in collaboration with the Arts Council.

On the first day of the event, a large number of students from 150 schools participated, while personalities, including Arts Council President Muhammad Ahmad Shah, Sindh’s Schools and Literacy Education Department Secretary Ghulam Akbar Leghari, Deputy Commissioner Saeed and Irshad Ali Dodhar, also attended.

The open spaces and halls were packed with students, where various sessions were conducted. A discussion session on literature, language and civilisation was held, featuring Dr Arifa Syeda Zehra, Zehra Negah and Mehtab Akbar Rashdi.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, ITA chief executive officer Baela Raza Jamil said the ITA and the Children’s Learning Festival were striving hard to continue the learning process during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The event aims to attract schoolchildren and make them understand the importance of learning and socialising with fellow students enrolled in different schools.

“Today, it is a great pleasure to see the enthusiasm of the children; this festival is a comprehensive learning platform providing new teaching and learning opportunities,” artist Ahsan Khan said.

“The work done to make Faiz Ahmed Faiz popular in schools is a good tradition,” said Arts Council President Ahmed Shah. “Such festivals provide help with promoting higher education. A teacher is one who was once a student also. We need to further improve our education system”.

The event was also attended by the CLF co-founder Ameena Saiyid, who appreciated the partners' cooperation in promoting reading, creativity and learning in children and teachers. Oxford University Press Managing Director Arshad Saeed Hussain, Mohammad Baqir, Abdullah Khan and Saira Khan also participated.

Students of the Deaf Reach School kicked off the festival with the national anthem, while pupils of Joseph Convent sang “Humien Kitab Chahyea”, written Zehra Nigah.

As many as 28 colourful and exciting children’s books were launched. Those books have been prepared by the Room To Read and translated into Urdu under the ITA Pakistan Literacy Project.

Also, four other books were unveiled. They were included Amina Alvi’s ‘Eak Sabaq Seekha’ and ‘Kon Badshah Banna Chahta Hai’, Maria Riaz’s "Hamara Adabi Jashan" and Fauzia Minullah's “Amai and Shabnam”. The book launch ceremonies were moderated by Romana Hassan, Dr Fauzia Khan, Rashdi and Atiya Dawood.

On the occasion, Bank of Punjab CEO Zafar Masud announced a ‘Young Author Award’. A mobile rickshaw library and a book car were also launched. The book car is rightly called “Magic Car”.

The organisers have named stalls after prominent personalities and localities, including Shah Abdul Latif Bhattai, Suhail Rana, Hasina Moin, Ahmad Shah, Fehmida Riaz, Mohenjo Daro, Anita Ghulam Ali, Sadiqin Ki Gali, Jamshed Nisruwanji, Mehta Court Yard and Burnes Road. Syed Nusrat Ali participated in the poetry session “Let's Learn Poetry”. The first day of the festival ended with a concert by Ali Hamza Rake Jamil and rapper Waqas Aka Kake.