It is said that, if one wants to hide information from a Ugandan, put it in writing and your secret will be safe. This is a joke made about Uganda's poor reading culture. Many Ugandans do not have time to pick a book and read as many of them think it is a waste of time, one would do something useful during that time. This habit is also inherited by children at an early age. The simple reason is because there is no one to encourage the children to read. There is also no enough reading material in our schools and homes.
Many schools in Uganda lack libraries and children will only learn about the use of a library but will never get to see a library until later on in life. Many students will say they read to pass exams and don't have time to read other books. The reading culture should be instilled in children at a tender age. Reading culture can be enhanced in our children through provision of suitable reading materials in schools, homes and public libraries.
It begins from home, parents should encourage their children to begin reading right from home so that it becomes easy for them and they can do it at any time.
Isaac Okabo is a university student who loves reading, he is a person who will close himself in his room for two hours reading or even wake up at night and pick a book to read. He says, "I believe the reading culture in Uganda is so poor and it looks like no one is bothered about it. Personally, I was a good reader of novels, articles and different things around me but as time went on that changed. I no longer read to attain knowledge sorry to say but most a times do so to pass exams". Isaac noted that, the Ugandan education system has not helped improve the reading culture because pupils are piled with lots of load from the very day they start primary school to the day they get done with university. "We are tasked to hit an average mark and if we don't, we don't attain the opportunity to rise up to a different rank. This raises a huge number of people reading just to pass exams rather than understand and attain knowledge. We have risen a generation of those that can cram so well other than understand.
Have you ever wondered why some youth nowadays don't perform at places of work in case they get one. I think it's because they believe things are done a certain way and that is the formula. They don't think outside the box I have to say. Our education system has played a very big role in our poor reading culture. Look at how we are taught in class," he commented. "More of like news reading and notes dictated for us to write and cram later only to pass the exam. It doesn't give room for one to think outside the box to utilize their brains," Isaac continued.
However, Mr. Charles Batambuze, the Executive Secretary NABUTO says that; the reference to the reading culture in Uganda being poor is not right as he says it is debatable. He stated that many issues have failed Ugandans to read and NABUTO will try to get Ugandans to get reading once more. Every year, before the beginning of first term, NABUTO holds a national book week which runs for a week. The executive secretary said that the book week is celebrated country wide and they try to find solutions for the poor reading culture by promoting books and exposing some new ones on the market.
Batambuze noted that the problem with poor reading culture in Uganda is because people don't have access to books. He also said, the poor bookshop network has not helped the poor reading culture. Mr. Batambuze added that Uganda has only 32 public libraries which are poorly resourced because government's facilitation to the public libraries is very meager, thus failing to restock the libraries with new books.
He supplemented that the major reason for NABUTO to hold the book week is because they want to bring books closer to the people. He also said that NABUTO has made it their mission to promote and provide exposure for books in the Ugandan market because they want Ugandans to be readers.
Meanwhile, the few people who read in Uganda always read for a reason. The students read because they need to pass examination and the other few who read can afford to buy books. During a parent's meeting at a school, one parent spoke out openly that he cannot buy a book that cost UGX: 60,000. The attitude of most Ugandans is that the books are costly.
Joseline Byakatonda says that she has always taught her children to read though she states that, the reading culture in Uganda has been derailed by parents themselves. Byakatonda noted that, when the culture is not nurtured at home, it may not happen at school. She added that it's only the investigative nature of teaching whether home or school that can nurture reading. Byakatonda agrees with Mr. Batambuze that the price of books has discouraged many people from reading because; every time she buys a book, it is never below UGX: 35,000. She says many people cannot afford the book as her daughter cannot afford that. This, Byakatonda says is because of the high taxes imposed on books and other reading materials. She added that, nurturing the habit of reading is like teaching one to fish not just giving them a fish.
She says that, besides lobbying with government other stakeholders should play their role too like parents, parishes and CSOs. Mr. Batambuze acknowledged that, NABUTO has been lobbying government to reduce the heavy taxes on books so that the prices of the books go down.