KREASI Halmahera Utara held a training on Developing Non-Text Reading Books with a Local Halmahera Utara Context in Tobelo on Tuesday (12/08/2025). The event featured speakers from the Center for Books of the Agency for Curriculum Standards and Educational Assessment, Berthin Sappang and Ary Nilandari, and was attended by Head of Primary School Curriculum Section at the Halmahera Utara Education and Culture Office (Dinas Dikbud), Novi Kodal.
Program Manager of KREASI Halmahera Utara Rany Monika Purba emphasized the program’s commitment to providing reading materials that are close to children’s daily lives yet rich in values and quality.
“We hope the participants’ ideas will spark children’s curiosity, imagination, and interest in reading. We will facilitate illustrators to help realize those ideas into reading materials unique to Halmahera Utara. This is a sustainable first step to strengthen children’s literacy from an early age,” she said.
Novi Kodal described the activity as a valuable opportunity for teachers to sharpen their skills in writing non-text books based on local wisdom.
“We have many local stories and legends that can be explored, such as the tale of Talaga Lina. These works can serve as engaging reading sources for students. We thank the KREASI Halmanera Utara and the speakers for making this training possible,” she said.
Enthusiasm also came from participants, including elementary school teacher in Tobelo, named Yunika.
“This training is very helpful for teachers, especially in creating non-text reading materials that attract children. We hope theProgram of KREASI continues to grow and provide creative training like this,” she said.
The training ran for three days, targeting the creation of non-text reading books inspired by the local wisdom of Halmahera Utara, which are expected to enrich teaching materials while fostering a love of reading among the younger generation.
Writer: Samsudin AS Kuylo; Editor: Andika Ramadhan
Photo: Samsudin AS Kuylo/KREASI/Wahana Visi Indonesia/Save the Children