Malaysians still lack the reading habit: Arifin
Published on: Friday, October 27, 2023
By: Anthea Peter
Arifin (left) visiting one of the vendors at the 2023 Sabah Book Fest.
PENAMPANG: Initiatives such as the 2023 Sabah Book Fest are important to cultivate the reading culture which is still lacking among Malaysians, said State Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif.
“Every year, statistics shows the reading habit among Malaysians has barely increased.
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“The country’s literacy index is currently at 95 per cent and among the highest in Asean countries, other than Singapore.
“However, this high literacy rate is not necessarily directly proportional to the interest in reading among the people, especially reading books,” he said when officiating the 2023 Sabah Book Fest at ITCC Mall, here, Thursday.
Citing 2013 data from the National Library of Malaysia (PNM), Arifin said Malaysians only read four books a year, which is bleak compared to countries such as Japan which registers 10 to 30 books read per year.
He added that Unesco’s findings showed people in developed countries such as Japan, the United States, China, India and Thailand read more than seven hours a week on average compared to only four hours among Malaysians.
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“It is hoped that this dismal statistical gap can be closed through book-related activities such as the Sabah Book Fair organised today,” he said.
As such, the State Education Exco said he will endeavour for the Sabah Book Fest to be included in the Sabah tourism calendar.
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Arifin also stressed that increasing the reading habit requires the State Education Department’s support, especially through nilam (reading) programmes in schools, where students are encouraged to read in their school libraries and receive awards for reading.
"As the Education Exco, I will ask for reports on the nilam programmes from time to time. Next year, I will focus more on nilam initiatives, how we can further empower the reading culture among students.
“We must help through such programmes, and God-willing, the funding will be prepared by the State Government,” he said.
In another development, Arifin, who is also Islamic Religious Affairs Exco, said he has arranged for a “Tabung Palestin” to be set up in mosques and raise funds for Palestinians, where it will be collected every Friday.
He added that a circular has been issued to all mosques on the matter.
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