The number of books published every year far outnumbers those used in schools all over the world. For every 20 books taught in schools, there are around 400,000 books published. This applies to several countries. If we look at the Kingdom, we find that the number of books in our school libraries all over the country cannot be compared with the number of books in major libraries in the West. The number of books in the Kingdom cannot be compared with the 50 million books scanned by Google. I am not exaggerating when I call on the authorities to dedicate half the school day to reading. Our children's knowledge is limited and needs to be widened. We must teach our children how to love reading. Forcing them to read books at schools that are not interesting and making them memorize them is why students forget most things that they are taught. After the end of the school year, they do not care to open books. We should change their reading habits and develop their reading skills. If they were to learn to love reading and understand its importance, they would continue reading until the end of their lives. They would focus more on diversifying their knowledge and reading books on an array of subjects. Currently, the content of schoolbooks is lifeless and rigid, and students find them unappealing. Forcing ideas on our sons and daughters will not teach them a thing. They will not be able to excel and surpass in their lives if all they have been taught is rote memorization. Our students need our help to show them how to keep up with the latest developments around the world and how to further their global knowledge. Letting our children widen their horizons and read different subjects will not make them go astray, as some may think. It is good for them to open their minds to new and different cultures. Our minds are like our bodies; they have an immune system that will make the brain refuse information that might be harmful. We should not be scared if we see our children read. However, we should be scared if they do not read and continue to live in a world of oblivion and ignorance. The Ministry of Education should allocate more money to school libraries and ask the general public to donate as well.
