Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA), Oxford University Press (OUP) and Foundation Open Society Institute (FOSI) Pakistan, are delighted to announce a two day Children’s Literature Festival (CLF) Islamabad at the Pak-China Friendship Center on May 24-25, 2013: 9:30am to 6:00pm.
The Islamabad CLF is the sixth literature festival for the children of Pakistan; the first was held in November 2011 in Lahore followed by Quetta, Peshawar, Bahawalpur and Karachi in 2012/2013. Attended by over 80,000 participants, CLF aims to promote reading, creativity and critical thinking among children. CLF is an equalizer open to ALL children and ALL school systems, UNLOCKING THE POWER OF READING through muti-sensory experiences.
An exciting and fun-filled programme is planned for the CLF Islamabad, featuring: talks and readings by famous children’s writers; provide opportunities for children to listen to their favourite books being, read, sung aloud and discussed; attend sessions on creative writing, bookmaking, IT Ka Adda; book reviews; attend book launches and plenary sessions, multi- lingual mushaira, popularizing mother tongue; theatre, cartoons and puppet shows, films; art/craft and pottery sessions ; and many more children’s activities related to reading. CLF will host an amazing Book Fair.
Baela Raza Jamil is the Director Programs for the Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA), Center for Education and Consciousness (CEC). ITA is a Public Trust, established in 2000 working nationwide in 23 locations of Pakistan. ITA is embedded in the paradigm of education as a fundamental human entitlement; the right to learning, knowledge systems, citizenship skills and 9000 years of living heritage, through active partnerships with public sector and affordable private schools across Pakistan. ITA works with think tanks, universities, civil society organizations and the corporate sector.
Ameena Saiyid joined OUP in 1979 in Lahore, working in sales and editorial, with responsibility for the Punjab and NWFP, and later moved to Karachi. She left OUP in 1986 to set up her own publishing house, Saiyid Books, which grew into a successful business. In 1988, she was invited by OUP to rejoin as head of OUP Pakistan becoming the first woman to head a multinational company in Pakistan. In 2005, Ameena became the first woman in Pakistan to be awarded the Order of the British Empire. The OBE was awarded in recognition of her services to women’s rights, education, democracy, intellectual property rights and Anglo-Pakistan relations.
Pakistani Students Continue to Stand Up for Education: We Must Stand With Them
A second Pakistani girl is now speaking out publicly about threats against her for attending school. Hina Khan, now 17, has been an advocate for education, particularly girls', and now is unable to leave her house because of death threats.
