Wang Yuanyuan

cheekywang@hotmail.com

AFTER training for three months, 34 candidates have passed the examination to become the city’s first batch of authorized professionals to promote reading activities.

Among them, 10 to 20 will be selected and hired as official reading promoters, organizing activities at venues such as schools, residencies, communities and companies, according to the organizing committee of Reading Month.

“It was the first training program of its kind in the country. It helped trainees learn basic knowledge and theories to enable them to organize reading activities,” said Qiao Jinhua, vice general secretary of the Reading Month organizing committee.

Nearly 120 candidates attended the inaugural training session which was held in June. Most of them were reading enthusiasts from schools, public libraries and government organizations. Five leading experts in reading promotion were invited to teach the trainees.

“The training included both theory and practice. The courses were very helpful and made me understand what it took to promote reading,” said Liu Jing, one of the candidates named as an “outstanding trainee.”

For Liu, a civil servant, completing the training course is the fulfilment of a long-term goal. “I had participated in several courses on reading promotion before, but still found it difficult to develop systematic and professional knowledge. In this course, I learned a lot of useful theory and gained much hands-on experience, such as how to read to children,” she said.

Liu finished top of the class in the examination.

The city plans to train 500 to 800 reading promoters in five years and will help them organize reading activities across the city.

The city will also carry out a regulation on reading promoter management and a database for authorized reading promoters.

“We will also build a system to evaluate promoters’ activities and achievements. Awards will be given to those who have made significant contributions in promoting reading, helping build their influence and reputation,” Qiao said.

The second training program is expected to be held next year. “The trainees will mainly be selected among teachers at kindergartens and schools, letting them inspire more young people to fall in love with reading,” Qiao said.