Children’s Literature Festival was founded by Baela Raza Jamil of Idara-e-Taleem-O-Aagahi (ITA) and co-founded by Ameena Saiyid of Oxford University Press (OUP) in collaboration with Open Society Foundations (OSF).
CLFs are a social movement triggered by low learning levels, textbooks and tests and oppressive school cultures. The idea is not simply to engage children through multiple intelligences in learning that is absolutely valid but also to generate content. The main aim of CLF is to inculcate the love of reading among children and promote critical thinking and creativity by giving children an opportunity to explore themselves and by inviting different prominent children’s authors, artists, TV celebrities, journalists who have different interactive sessions with children to encourage and motivate them.
The journey of CLF first started in Lahore in 2011 where the first CLF was held at Children’s Library Complex where we received an overwhelming response with over 22,000 children/teachers/attending the event. After that ITA and OUP held CLF in cities such as Quetta and Peshawar and in spite of the deteriorating law and order situations in these areas, we got an amazing response.
In 2014-2015, CLF is being organized at national, provincial district and school cluster levels. The CLF template aspires to influence classroom practices. CLF is a social movement, an equalizer for all school systems, reviving reading and generating content for curricula and supplementary materials.
14 Lively Concurrent Strands have been crafted for the CLF to engage large audiences simultaneously: read aloud sessions ; read with expression; how to write a book and illustrations; plenary sessions on textbooks and curriculum, language policy, quality and access innovations that work; inclusive education, reading for early years – building strong foundations etc.; speak for your lips are free Bol kay Lab Azad Hain Teray- for children to debate and express themselves (two age groups); theatre and puppetry, workshops on digital writing, comics; films and discussion; music, mural making, heritage and environment workshops; active citizenship, multi-sensory stalls, book fair /launches.
For further information, please contact: Maham Ali
Children’s Literature Festival Secretariat, House # 11, Street # 38, F-6/1, Islamabad. Tel.: (92-51) 2824838
Cell: (92) (300) 8541130