Students in most of the schools around Ras Al Khaimah have completed their exams and are currently enjoying their holidays.
As they approach higher grades, most of the students opt for new books from their school stores. But what happens to the old ones?
They are usually thrown away by most parents. But let me tell Gulf News readers another story — many children in poorer countries are deprived of school facilities and even lack the opportunity to read a book.
Leading lives
They remain in circumstances wherein they are not able to lead the lives of other children their age, due to various reasons.
Used books can be donated to these students, so that they can at least get a chance to read a classic novel or learn about the mysteries of nature, basic arithmetic and more. Unused pages can be torn out from old books and bound again, to create a [new] book.
By doing this, we not only save money but also save trees.
If we stop reusing our old books, there would be a greater demand for new ones, which would lead to the mass cutting of trees.
We can take small measures to help others, our environment and even ourselves.
I urge parents to [embrace] this method so that we can put a smile on the faces of children who are less fortunate than us and even protect Mother Nature from deforestation.
— The reader is a grade nine pupil of Indian School, in Ras Al Khaimah.
- Be a citizen reporter. Tell us what is happening in your community. Write to us at: readers@gulfnews.com
What do you do with old books? Do you have any creative ways of reusing them?
