Bishwo shahitto kendro, bkash expand book reading programme

In a significant step to foster enlightened thinking among young people, Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, partnering with bKash, has expanded its nationwide book reading program to reach students in Mymensingh and Sherpur.

This year, the initiative will distribute 40,000 books to 330 educational institutions nationwide. As part of this effort, organisers handed books directly to students from various schools in Mymensingh and Sherpur during two separate events at their respective District Shilpakala Academy venues.

Institutions participating in Mymensingh included Collectorate School & College, Vidyamayee Government Girls' High School, Mukul Niketon High School, Police Lines High School, Nasirabad Collegiate School, Mymensingh High School, and Mymensingh Zilla School. In Sherpur, schools such as Sherpur Collectorate School & College, Sherpur Government Girls' High School, Uttara Adarsha High School, Gobinda Kumar Pilot High School, Nabarun Bidyaniketon, and Police Lines High School were among those involved.

At the Mymensingh event, Bipin Chandra Biswas, Deputy Director of Local Government, distributed books among students, while Sheikh Jahid Hasan Prince, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Sherpur, attended the Sherpur ceremony. Also present were Humayun Kabir, Executive Vice President and Head of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs at bKash, and Shamim Al Mamun, Director of Bishwo Shahitto Kendro.

To further engage students, organisers held a quiz competition on contemporary topics for grades 6 to 10. A total of 80 students won prizes as quiz winners.

Since 2014, bKash — the country's leading mobile financial services provider — has championed Bishwo Shahitto Kendro's Nationwide Enrichment Programme, helping ignite a love of reading among students. Nearly 400,000 books have reached over 3.3 million eager readers at almost 3,000 institutions across Bangladesh.