Sharing a Table to Read

Sharing a book, reading together.

Written by Jazuli, Tanoto Foundation Jambi

The small room is filled with books. During recess, all of the room’s corners are occupied by students. Wearing the red and white uniform, all of them were reading. Although the room only has one chair and one small table, the students are still eager to savor the books. They often share the chair and table to read together. That is often the situation at the library of SDN 07/V Penyabungan, Merlung, Tanjung Jabung Barat District, Jambi.

The students’ eagerness is the outcome of Tanoto Foundation’s support for the school. Working with one of its corporate partners, Asian Agri, Tanoto Foundation has been implementing activities to improve quality of education in its partner schools in Jambi since 2010. As part of this effort, Tanoto Foundation carries out activities to develop students’ reading habits, increase love of reading, and improve writing skills through fun yet educative ways. The program also aims so students can easily access high quality books.

The school has also been taking an active part in implementing the program. It does not let limited facilities and infrastructure to deter its effort to improve its library. The school chooses an old storage room and rearranges it into a comfortable and attractive reading room. The school also arranges the schedule so students can easily visit the library and borrow books. As a result, students now enjoy spending their time more in the library than in other places of the school, including the cafeteria. Also, the school continues to strive to get more books with better quality.

Tanoto Foundation collaborates with more than 320 schools in Riau, Jambi, and North Sumatra to improve their quality of education. In addition to activities to improve students’ interest in reading, Tanoto Foundation also supports partner schools to establish a surrounding that is healthy for children to study in. Another program is to improve the capacity of teachers in teaching and learning process so students could learn in fun yet effective ways.