In order to ensure reading as a social right for all citizens, the Minister of Culture, Claudia Barattini introduced the National Policy on Reading and Books 2015 – 2020 and the National Reading Plan. The ceremony took place in Recoleta on the World Book Day.
The presentation of both documents was attended by the Minister of Social Development Heidi Berner; in addition to the Directors of the DIBAM Ángel Cabeza, e SENAMA Rayen Inglés and ProChile Roberto Paiva, together with the Executive Secretary of the National Council for Children, Estela Ortiz, mayor of Recoleta, Daniel Jadue, and writers, editors, representatives of publishers associations and others in the field.
Minister Barattini also inaugurated the "Punto de Lectura Eduardo Galeano," space located in Recoleta. The Minister said that "Chile needs more books, but it also urgently needs more and better readers. Most people only read comprehensively simple texts hindering that reading become a productive tool. But many of us have said already about how reading contributes to developmed, however, we have failed to convey to our citizens the happiness that a good book can bring to their lives. "
Politics in a systemic instrument including actions in the fields of culture, education and the economy. It is the product of a public consultation conducted between August and October 2014, in Santiago and the regions, thought the Council of Culture.
The conclusions of this work were collected in a document approved by the National Council for Books and Reading (CNLL) and the National Board of CNCA. The CNCA also considers the proposals generated in the Parliament of Books and Words, a meeting of Indigenous writers and peoples celebrated in October 2014 and organized by the University of Chile.
Five fields of action
The policy seeks to create the conditions to ensure that everyone in the country, including Indigenous peoples and traditional, rural and immigrant communities, can participate and have access to reading, creation, heritage and knowledge protecting and promoting cultural and territorial diversity, equity and social integration.
This instrument is structured around five areas of action. The first of these is Reading that includes the implementation of the National Reading Plan, strengthening public reading spaces, encouraging the participation of the media in disseminating the actions of promotion of reading and strengthening of public libraries
The policy aims to support, promote and disseminate national and regional works in print and digital formats; facilitate access to the Book Fund, develop a purchasing policy to ensure diversity in terms of gender, indigenous peoples and regional authors and link scholarships with reading promotion initiatives promoted by the CNLL.
National Reading Plan
The National Reading Plan 2015-2020 calls for actions and programs developed by the General Secretariat of the Presidency (through the National Council for Children), the Ministries of Education and Social Development, the National Council for Culture and the Arts (CNCA ), the Directorate of Libraries, Archives and Museums (Dibam) and the National Service for Elderly People (Senama). All these institutions signed a collaboration agreement for the implementation of the instrument.
The document is developed within the framework of Educational Reform and stipulates that reading is a right for everyone. It aims to encourage reading in all formats and media. The document foresees that during the period 2015-2020 Regional Reading Plans will be developed in 15 regions of the country.
The Minister Barattini explained that one of the long-term goals is "to consolidate by 2020, fifteen Regional Plans of Reading; and increase by 10% the part of the population thatread books in print; and increase from 26% to 28% those that read books in digital format. And last but not least, to improve the importance of reading among the regular activities people do in the leisure time. "
The Policy will be available on the site www.plandelectura.cl and on the website of the CNCA, http://www.cultura.gob.cl/politica-del-libro/ ; while the National Reading Plan may accessed at www.cultura.gob.cl/programa/plan-lectura/ http://www.plandelectura.cl/somos .