Kampala — THE Government has been urged to increase funding to public libraries. Prime Minister, Prof. Apolo Nsibambi, said: "The culture of reading, buying and writing books is poor. Books are ranked as a low priority in most families."

The Prime Minister was on Thursday officiating at celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of Fountain Publishers at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel.

He hailed the publishers for excelling in the production of books used for academic purposes, HIV/AIDS education, biographies, Ugandan history and promoting tourism.

James Tumusiime, the managing director of the company, said the national budget for the purchase of school books is far below that of other countries in the region.

He said: "The list of books which are bought by the Government is very narrow. This discourages investment and makes it difficult for the publishing trade to survive."

The celebrations concided with the recognition of writers and launch of a book titled: "Uganda, A Picture History, 1857-2007."