KARACHI: The Pakistan Learning Festival (PLF) will begin at the Arts Council of Pakistan from Nov 7, organisers announced at a press conference here on Saturday.

PLF chief executive Baela Raza Jamil said that the festival, previously known as Children’s Literature Festival, would include various learning sessions and activities that would be of interest to both children and adults.

The two-day event is being organised with the support of the British Council, UNICEF, Habib Metro and Sindh Education Foundation among others.

As many as 15 storybooks would also be launched by the Pakistan Literacy Project to promote the national language.

Ms Raza said the festival was more of a social movement that would hold engaging panel discussion on creativity, critical thinking, communication, environment and climate change as well as creative exhibitions and storytelling sessions.

She emphasised that learning should not be kept limited to books and should be brought outside as children learned from everything they saw and participated in.

Arts Council president Ahmed Shah said little work was being done for children in the country. Therefore, such festivals were of high significance to develop positivity and learning habits, especially among children, he added.

Kazi Kabir of the Sindh Education Foundation said there was a ‘learning poverty’ in Pakistan and such festivals were very important in eradicating this problem.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2023