OKARA: The University of Okara (UO) on Friday held a webinar to observe International Book & Copyright Day.

Speakers brought out the importance of reading habits among students. They also appreciated advance information technology tools that have made reading easy.

Up to 300 people attended the webinar arranged by the Department of Library & Information Sciences (DL& IS).

Prof Dr Kanwal Amin, the VC of the University of Home Economics, Lahore, said everyone should develop reading habit. Those who cannot read should listen to books, he said.

Prof Dr Khalid Mehmood, the dean of Faculty of Management Sciences at the University of Punjab, defined the role of literature in promoting book reading culture.

Prof Dr Rubina Bhatti, the dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Islamia University Bahawalpur, said book reading habits create critical and rational thoughts.

UO VC Prof Dr Muhammad Zakria Zakar highlighted the significance of book reading in the Covid-stricken world.

In online classes, teachers could easily share more reading material with the students. Dr Misbah Jabeen and Chief Librarian Prof Raashid Maqbool also spoke.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2021