Gabriel Liicianu (Humanitas) and Silviu Lupescu (Polirom) joined the board of directors of AER (Association of Editors of Romania) and supported the “Reading Pact”, a joint effort of the guild to restore reading to the priorities of Romanians.

The Reading Pact will be presented on Wednesday, February 15, the National Reading Day established by Law 21/2022, in a public conference to which officials and representatives of civil society have been invited, the AER said in a press release. .

Two of Romania’s most important publishers, Gabriel Liicanu and Silviu Lupescu, directors of Humanitas and Polirom respectively, signed the Reading Pact together with members of the AER Board of Directors led by President Grigori Arsena, the quoted source said.

In addition, everyone can sign the “Reading Pact” on the “Online Petition” platform, signatures will be collected until March 15, after which they will be handed over to the Government and the Presidential Administration.

• “In 2023, Romania has fallen to an alarming level of functional illiteracy. According to the last three PISA assessments, more than 40% of 15-year-olds do not have the ability to understand what they read. In other words, after almost ten years spent in the education system in Romania, an overwhelming percentage of students have not acquired the minimum skills in terms of their training.”
  
• “Romania has the smallest book market in the entire European Union, only 5 euros – 25 lei – per person is spent on books annually. The consequences are extremely serious for the labor market and for social relations.”
• “Amazed by the unprecedented gravity of the numbers, while realizing that behind the numbers are individual destinies, but also the fate of the country, we launch this Pact for Reading and hope that by gathering as many as possible under its sign, we will return reading to the daily life skills of children. Reading is the basis of education, in any field it provides access to information and strengthens thinking” – says the petition.

The text of the Reading Pact, which can be downloaded here, will be discussed and explained in more detail during the conference, which will take place on February 15 at 17:00 at the Humanitas Lipscani Bookstore.

At the event, which will be moderated by journalist Katelin Striblea, invitations to participate were sent to the Presidential Administration, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education. Speakers will include editors, education experts such as Dragos Iliescu, founder of BRIO, and members of civil society concerned with the topic.

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