LASPARK To Integrate Reading With Recreation In Parks

The General Manager, Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK), Mrs. Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, has restated the desire of the Agency to improve the literacy level of citizens by incorporating reading programmes into most of the activities in all the State-owned recreational parks.

The assertion was contained in an official statement issued by LASPARK inviting the Public to the 2019 World Book Day themed “Open A Book To Read Even In The Parks” which held at Johnson Jakande Tinubu (JJT) Park, Alausa, Ikeja, on Thursday, 7th of March 2019.

The event, organised in partnership with a Non-Governmental Organisation ‘TOS Educational Initiative’, hosted an assemblage of young and aged citizens who read, reviewed and revised several genres of books in fascinating and eloquent manner to the admiration of visitors while free books were provided for participants and visitors.

Adebiyi-Abiola disclosed that the programme was aimed at advancing the educational development of the State by projecting the prospect of synergising recreation with reading in the park and at the same time providing access to knowledge for all citizens.

According to her, the mission is to increase literacy by raising reading awareness, encouraging action towards better information, achieving solutions as well as empowering children and families to view reading as an important way to share and access information for the growth of the society.

“Reading in the park is not a common indulgence in the country and we have to start inculcating the habit whenever we visit the park because the pursuit of knowledge and intelligence is not confined to a vicinity, even when having fun one can engage the brain”, she enthused.

Speaking further, she emphasised the need for teachers and parents to often utilise the natural ambience in parks to impact cognitive knowledge in their children, adding that different reading experiences potentially improve children’s assimilation.

“Being directly in contact with nature and enjoying a good book in the company of others is recreational and exciting, particularly for children, and this creates an opportunity for them to love reading because the relevance of reading in today’s society is imperative and can be contagious”, she emphasised.

The General Manager revealed that the Agency has provided open libraries at Ndubuisi Kanu Park, Ikeja and Muri Okunola Park, VI, while it looks forward to establishing virtual systems in all public parks where users would be provided with the prospect of studying and researching through apps in real time.