'Reading habits of our society poor'<\/p>\n
With its population of 215 million people, Indonesia only
\npublishes about 6,000 new titles of books a year. This is far
\nfewer than the 10,000 new titles that are published annually in
\nneighboring Malaysia for its population of 24.5 million. One of
\nthe reasons behind this gloomy fact is the public's poor reading
\nhabits. The Jakarta Post asked several residents what they
\nthought about this issue.<\/p>\n
Ika, 23, is an employee at a research institution in Tebet,
\nSouth Jakarta. She lives in Pondok Kopi, East Jakarta with her
\nfamily:<\/p>\n
I think the reading habits of the nation in general are at a
\nlow level compared to neighboring countries.<\/p>\n
There are usually not many assignments for students to read a
\nlot of books to motivate them to develop a reading habit.<\/p>\n
New TV stations competing with each other for larger audiences
\nalso affect the public's poor reading habits.<\/p>\n
By watching TV, viewers can get immediate information rather
\nthan by reading, which is relatively time-consuming.<\/p>\n
In this case, I try hard to keep up my reading, at least by
\njust reading newspapers and magazines.<\/p>\n
But I've also learned that poor reading habits have a lot to
\ndo with economic stability. People who earn a low income have to
\nspend all their time just trying to get by rather than reading
\nbooks.<\/p>\n
Dewi, 32, is an English instructor at a private English course in Tangerang, Banten. She lives in Tangerang with her family;<\/p>\n
I think that the reading habits of our society are poor. I
\nregret the lack of education that is apparent from early
\nchildhood within the family.<\/p>\n
As a matter of fact, reading habits in the family could help
\nboost communication between parents and children.<\/p>\n
It could bring family members even closer together. Children
\ncould also learn to express their opinions clearer or ask for
\ntheir parents' opinions. At least, that's what I experienced
\nduring my childhood.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, many parents think that sending their children
\nto school is enough. They ignore the importance of nurturing a
\nlove for reading within their children.<\/p>\n
Besides, the high price of books also affects our nation's
\nreading habits. Let alone those suffering economic hardship,
\npeople think that survival is far more important than reading
\nbooks.<\/p>\n
Television programs have also made the situation worse for
\nmany children who prefer to spend long hours in front of the TV.<\/p>\n
Shopping malls and entertaining programs on TV are far more
\ndistracting for children and to everyone else in general.<\/p>\n
Guritno, 34, is an assistant editor for a publication in
\nDepok, West Java. He lives in Pancoran, South Jakarta, with his
\nwife and two children:<\/p>\n
Reading is not yet a well-established habit for many people in
\nthe country. That's partly the reason why the country has been
\nstuck in the prolonged crisis. Both the leaders and the people
\nlack the proper knowledge that could be gained from reading.<\/p>\n
We have a bountiful supply of reputable human resources, but
\nthe poor education system has rendered them useless.<\/p>\n
In short, the country's crises are not only caused by economic
\nfactors but by poor education.<\/p>\n
There are also less writers willing to write books, which
\nexplains why there are less books published in the country.<\/p>\n
People's purchasing power is also still low. The monopoly of
\nthe publication and paper industries has also been an influential
\nfactor.<\/p>\n
It is sad to admit that the country has been left far behind
\nin terms of the knowledge in neighboring countries.<\/p>\n
Personally, I am never far from a book because my profession
\nrequires me to do a lot of reading. Fortunately, I enjoy reading
\nso it's not burdensome for me.<\/p>\n
I think that education, along with reading habits, should be
\ndeveloped in a bid to become a better nation.<\/p>\n
-- Leo Wahyudi S<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/reading-habits-of-our-society-poor-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }