Anwar Visits "Wacana Kejayaan" Exhibition

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3  (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim took some time at noon today to visit the “Wacana Kejayaan” exhibition, being held in conjunction with the presentation of the MADANI Book Vouchers at the Parliament Building here.

The Prime Minister was there for about 15 minutes during which he was also briefed on the development and impact of the MADANI Book Voucher programme by a representative of Perbadanan Kota Buku.

According to the Perbadanan Kota Buku representative, more than 90 per cent of the book vouchers had been redeemed in almost all states.

As of last Sunday, the MADANI Book Voucher programme recorded an extraordinary achievement with a total of 3,279,601 vouchers valued at RM262,602,150 redeemed.

A total of 6,687,646 book manuscripts were sold through 3,113,524 transactions, while the main e-commerce portal for the initiative, the Bookcapital platform, offers 737,400 book titles involving 1,050 active sellers.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, who was also present during the visit, said she hoped the redemption of the book vouchers could be completed within the next 28 days to encourage a reading culture among students.

“The redemption of the books was successfully carried out in rural areas. We want to continue increasing this number... The redemption rate from the start was high, especially in Sabah and Sarawak, so this reflects the remarkable commitment of the teachers.

"Another thing that we need to pay attention to is the redemption mechanism...So I hope that the children and teachers, as well as parents, can ensure that the redemption takes place," she said when met by reporters at the exhibition.

She also expressed her gratitude to parties involved in the book delivery process, especially to the remote areas, including Pos Malaysia.

The MADANI Book Voucher was announced by the Prime Minister during the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair on May 30 this year.

Vouchers worth RM50 are given to students in Year 4 and above, while RM100 vouchers are given to students in secondary schools, vocational colleges, sixth form, matriculation and Teacher Education Institute (IPGM).

-- BERNAMA