Maj Gen ® Muhammad Tahir Former Member of Board of Governors and NBF Book Ambassador
National Book Foundation(NBF) since its inception in 1972 is engaged in promoting the spread of education, literacy outreach and preservation of national heritage and culture through publication of books and literature.
It has within its ambit,writers who have written books inboth English and Urdu on Philosophy, Literature,National Defense, Strategy, International Relations, Poetry and Children books. It hasalso contributed in the national curriculum by printing almost 8 million textbooks for Federal,GilgitBaltistan and FGEI Boards through subject specialists on its panel. Nelson Mandela said, “A good head and a good heart is always a formidable combination, but when you add to it a literary thought or pen then you have something very special.” Education not only molds the minds of new generation, but also reflects the society’s fundamental assumptions about itself and the individuals who compose it. Quaid-e-Azam provided the basic guidelines when he said, “Education must suit the genius of the people in consonance with our history, culture and instil the highest sense of honor, integrity, responsibility and selfless duty to the nation.
NBF books (technical and general) not only equip individuals with the skills and knowledge that allows them to define and pursue their own goals through formal and technical education but also to participate in the life of their community as full-fledged autonomous citizens. These books are placed in the National and International libraries and through its very vast readership have transformed the hearts and minds, helped create an ethical and moral vision, break the impasse and cycle of darkness and create a value based culture and society,which can fulfill its role and meet the challenges of 21st century. It keeps alive the book reading culture by printing and bringing books at the doorsteps through mobile bookshops and Book Fairs held regularly in the Schools, Colleges and Universities.The books offered at subsidized rates are cheap, affordable, but rich in contents and are highly popular amongst the public and studentsspread all over the country.
Recognizing the pivotal role of the writers and academia, NBF organized a colorful function at Islamabadclub on 21st July presided over by the Federal Minister of Education, Dr khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. It was an event to honour and pay tribute to the writers for their passion and commitment in carrying out this sacred task in the service of the nation. The occasion brought together renowned authors, academics and government officials at one place. It reflects the critical importance, which the Ministry of Education and its highest officials attach to the importance of books and the power of thought in our lives. The idea to award certificates of merit and shields of excellence to the writers of each category was the brainchild of new MD NBF, Dr Kamran Jahangir duly supported by Ministry of Education. The new MD has also initiated various other programmes like, ‘Meet the Author’ and ‘Literary Sittings’ spread over all the Federal and Provincial Capitals for an active collaboration between them and general public.
The Programme started with the recitation of National anthem. It was followedwith a tribute to Armed Forces by playing the Anthem “Tum he se aeMujahidojahankasabathae,’written by S M Hali, who incidentally was also present in the audience. The MD than gave the welcome address in which he thanked all the dignitaries for sparing their valuable time and to be present at this important function. He also highlighted the role of the NBF in promoting literacy and literary authorship and providing access to quality learning material all across the country.
Before the start and in between the awards of each category a colorful programme of poems by Ahmed Faraz, Parveen Shakir and a short script of Zia Mohyeddin on prose writing was played on the Multi Media. The folk music of all the four Provinces was also played on the flute and tablaby Salman Adil and Qamar Baber, which won a hearty applause from the audience. In the first category of Textbooks the AddlSecy Education,Mr Hassan Saqlain was called on the stage. The writers awarded the prizes were Prof ® Muhammad Iqtedar-ud-Din, Prof® JawaidMohsin Malik, DrkhalidMahmood, Muhammad Sajjad Haider and Dr SaleemUllah. The second category was of Children Literature and theprizes were awarded by Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Madam Farah Naz Akhber. The awardees were Syed Fatima Hassan Gilani, Mr Raj Muhammad Afridi and Mr Muhammad Shoaib Khan. In the third category of poetry, the prizes were awarded by Minister of State for Education,Ms.Wajiha Qamar and the awardees were Dr Amjad Ali Bhatti, Mr Muhammd Arif and Mr Mahboob Zafar. Finally, the Federal Minister for Education, Dr khalid Maqbool Siddiqui was called on stage to award prizes in the General category of Books.
The recipients were Syed Abu Ahmed Akif, Afrasiab Mehdi Hashmi Qureshi, Dr Asif MehmoodJah, Dr Abdul Wajid Tabassum, Dr Ghulam Rasool Zahid, Mrs Kokab Khawaja, Dr Maqsood Jafri, Mrs Naeem Fatima Alvi,Dr Nisar Turabi and Major General ®Muhammad Tahir.
In his Presidential Address, The Federal Minister for Education congratulated the recipients of the Excellence awards and lauded their dedication and passion for doing an excellent job. He said thatthe world is witnessing a very rapid transformation through technological advances and artificial Intelligence and the next 25 years would see the landscape totally transformed with millions of people getting out of job, so we have to keep in step with the rapidly changing environment. Only education and knowledge can provide us with mentally robust and intellectually strong future generation, which can propel the country towards light, peace and prosperity. A lifelong pursuit of knowledge wisdom and understanding is therefore imperative and should be an endeavor of every human being possible only through persistent study, personal efforts for self-improvement, observation, reflection, self-realization and application. NBF can play a role of a sheet anchor in inculcating the methods of scientific inquiry, cultivating intellect and create positive changes in the society through a host of eminent writers,who epitomize time and shape the minds and the destiny of the Nation. In the end, he congratulated the NBFfor a well-organized and conducted function.
