Parents - Teach Your Children To Read.
The number of people who read has dropped slightly over the last 10 years up to 2005 but more people have become computer literate! Now I don't know whether to interpret this as a good sign or not.
A study conducted by the National Library involving 60,441 people showed that the number who read dropped by one per cent, from 93 per cent in 1996 to 92 per cent in 2005. Computer literacy has risen sharply, from six per cent in 1996 to 28 per cent in 2005. While I feel the 28% figure is probably quite accurate, I personally feel that the reading rate must have plunged dramatically. Firstly I don't think that 92 or 93 percent of the people read, especially youngsters. Except for the school-going kids who are compelled to read 'at least something' from their textbooks, I don't see any evidence of even 'smart' kids reading more than is necessary.
Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim hopes that the prices of books could be reduced so that more people would buy and read books. However more important is inculcating and encouraging the reading habit very early and only the parents can ensure this. If this is not done then even distributing free books would be futile.
As busy as we are in our daily life, with both parents working being the norm, the tendency to pass the responsibility of raising the children to grandparents (if you're lucky), maids, nurseries and creches is great. But the danger in not supervising them yourself is evident in the number of delinquents brought up by 'proxy parenting'. The lack of the reading habit is merely a side-effect.
Apparently if the drop in the number of people who read reaches 2.5 per cent, there will be cause for concern but there is no need for worry with the drop being only one per cent. So my dear friends especially those with little children, please spend time with them and actively encourage them to read. It may be a bit difficult in this age of ipods and other such devices, but giving up now will be detrimental to your children and their future.
A study conducted by the National Library involving 60,441 people showed that the number who read dropped by one per cent, from 93 per cent in 1996 to 92 per cent in 2005. Computer literacy has risen sharply, from six per cent in 1996 to 28 per cent in 2005. While I feel the 28% figure is probably quite accurate, I personally feel that the reading rate must have plunged dramatically. Firstly I don't think that 92 or 93 percent of the people read, especially youngsters. Except for the school-going kids who are compelled to read 'at least something' from their textbooks, I don't see any evidence of even 'smart' kids reading more than is necessary.
Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim hopes that the prices of books could be reduced so that more people would buy and read books. However more important is inculcating and encouraging the reading habit very early and only the parents can ensure this. If this is not done then even distributing free books would be futile.
As busy as we are in our daily life, with both parents working being the norm, the tendency to pass the responsibility of raising the children to grandparents (if you're lucky), maids, nurseries and creches is great. But the danger in not supervising them yourself is evident in the number of delinquents brought up by 'proxy parenting'. The lack of the reading habit is merely a side-effect.
Apparently if the drop in the number of people who read reaches 2.5 per cent, there will be cause for concern but there is no need for worry with the drop being only one per cent. So my dear friends especially those with little children, please spend time with them and actively encourage them to read. It may be a bit difficult in this age of ipods and other such devices, but giving up now will be detrimental to your children and their future.
posted by The Malaysian. at 7/15/2006 12:59:00 PM
1 Comments:
Nice idea with this site its better than most of the rubbish I come across.
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