Education minister seeks to bring books into students’ lives
In a bid to instill a love for reading among Greece’s rote-jaded youngsters, the government is bringing more literature to the classroom, Education Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis told Kathimerini’s Sunday edition.
“Greece is one of the few countries that does not teach entire works in literature classes,” he lamented, adding that this will change from the next academic year. “The aim is for each class to choose two books from at least four options,” he said, adding that these options will stretch from Shakespeare and Penelope Delta, to Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes adventures.
“If we start with challenging books, few students will be able to break the psychological barrier of finishing it,” the minister said, explaining these choices.
The ministry will also bolster languishing school libraries with new books and a plan “so that they can become an organic part of the school community.”
“It sounds like a cliche, but it isn’t: books expand your horizons, increase your curiosity and make you seek and learn new things,” added Pierrakakis.
