SHAH ALAM, 3 Apr: Public Libraries (PPA) across Selangor will jointly launch the “10 Minutes Read Together Programme” which will be held across Malaysia in conjunction with the World Book and Copyright Day on 22 April.

The Executive Councillor in charge of Education, Higher Learning and Human Capital Development, Dr Halimah Ali, said that the programme is part of the reading movement to shape the community towards cultivating interest in reading, especially in Selangor.

She said that all state public libraries have agreed to execute it simultaneously on 22 April, starting at 10am to 10.10am, with the concept being inspired by the Earth Hour celebration.

“We want to mobilise this new phenomenon subconsciously, where young children can see intellectuals and everyone stopping together to read simultaneously.

“We hope that Selangor will have as many people possible join to be recorded,” she said at a press conference at the SUK Building yesterday.

The Selangor Public Library Corporation (PPAS) previously branded its reading programme, starting 2010, in conjunction with the Selangor state World Knowledge day on 26 June 2010.

The programme recorded a total of 13,271 people simultaneously reading for 15 minutes around the Shah Alam Lake.