[singlepic id=453 w=320 h=240 float=left] Member for Mulgrave Curtis Pitt will attend morning teas at Bentley Park College and Isabella State School today to congratulate students as part of the Premier’s Reading Challenge Celebration Week.

Mr Pitt said the Premier’s Reading Challenge, which was established by the former Labor Government seven years ago, aims to help children learn by boosting the number of books they read and encourages them to read more challenging texts.

“I will be presenting certificates of congratulations to students at Bentley Park and Isabella State Schools who have borrowed the most library books for the year,” Mr Pitt said.

“The Premier’s Reading Challenge is not a competition, but a way to encourage greater involvement in reading and develop a love of reading for life.

“It’s about learning through literacy which all students can participate in.

“The challenge recognises the range of student abilities in the classroom,” he said.

Mr Pitt said the challenge encourages students from Prep to Year 7 to read or experience a variety of books.

“Reading takes students to places they haven’t been before, as well as helping them to develop new ideas while expanding their imaginations,” he said.

“In 2011, more than 680 schools and over 110,000 students participated in the challenge.

“More than 78,000 students successfully completed the challenge reading over one million books.

“The Premier’s Reading Challenge is aimed at improving children’s literacy, cultivating a passion for literature and encouraging children to read widely for pleasure and learning.

“It is a fantastic initiative for schools and parents to get involved in and should be encouraged at all levels,” he said.