LIBRARIES are the gateway to knowledge and help nations prosper and advance in the long run.

Being a developing country, Pakistan continues to face issues at all levels, including education.

The country’s literacy rate remains stagnant at 60 per cent. I believe a significant reason behind such high illiteracy is the lack of public libraries.

The libraries that do exist lack even the most of basic facilities. Books are mostly outdated and there is a severe shortage of scientific texts. As can be expected, the situation is much worse in rural areas, where students have nothing in the name of a library.

The government should address this issue on an urgent basis. The initial focus should be on revamping the existing libraries. In Sindh, for example, the Daudpota library in Hyderabad, Shah Nawaz library in Larkana, and Liaquat and Sachal libraries in Karachi should be provided with the necessary facilities.

After that, the government should aim at setting up at least one library in every city, town and village across the province.

Ishfaque Ahmed Memon
Larkana

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2022