ANKARA, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Around 2,000 students gathered Saturday at a stadium in Turkey's Batman province to read books to boost the love of reading by teenagers, Daily Sabah reported.
A human formation of the word "oku," which means "read" in Turkish, was created by Turkish students on the field to show" reading everywhere."
The event with attendance of thousands of teachers and students was launched by the Batman city's governorate as part of a project to promote books, literacy and student engagement.
Osman Bilici, governor of Province Batman, highlighted the importance of reading in improving strong, educated individuals in society.
A recent World Bank report showed that the average Turkish 15-year-old is below his or her average the Organization of Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD) counterpart in reading, math and science.
According to an 2015 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) report, around 15 percent of children in Turkey lack the most basic skills.
Out of 70 countries in 2015, Turkey ranked 49th in mathematics, 50th in reading and 52nd in sciences.
