LETTER: Upon reading the article titled "Rise to the challenge of encouraging kids to read", I was surprised and appalled to discover that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the learning of 463 million children.
Even more important to note, the children are mostly those who are poor or disempowered and deprived of the essential tools for online school.
When schools close, education invariably stops too. So, as an international school student, I recognise now that the resources that I have, including devices and access to online education, cannot be taken for granted.
At the same time, I often wonder and ask myself this - what can I do to help others? In that article, the writer suggested that even though schools close, there is still a way for education to go on - through reading.
While we can encourage lawmakers to promote quality education that is accessible for every family, it is our job, especially those of us who have more than we need, to help all of those affected children who are right now lacking the education and learning that they deserve.
In another way, I am inspired by the solution proposed in the article. Let's encourage reading initiatives such as providing community libraries with books and resources for learning to those in need.
Not only can we provide a child with an education, but also in the process, we can transform their life.
MIKAYA RONZHEIMER
Tanjung Bungah, Penang
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times