It has been quite disturbing for me to observe and hear of students complaining that they are not allowed to enter their school libraries during recess, or at any time, without explanation.

At one school recently, I overhead the library staff member telling a group of lower secondary students that it was useless for them to come into the library as they were only 'normal-tech' students.

Students often want to use part of their 30-minute recess time to read the newspapers and borrow books, as it is often the only free time they have between lessons.

As school libraries are designed to support teaching and learning, schools have a moral responsibility to ensure that their library services are delivered in a fair, equitable and positive manner.

Osman V.P Mohamed