'Reading habits of our society poor'
'Reading habits of our society poor'
With its population of 215 million people, Indonesia only
publishes about 6,000 new titles of books a year. This is far
fewer than the 10,000 new titles that are published annually in
neighboring Malaysia for its population of 24.5 million. One of
the reasons behind this gloomy fact is the public's poor reading
habits. The Jakarta Post asked several residents what they
thought about this issue.
Ika, 23, is an employee at a research institution in Tebet,
South Jakarta. She lives in Pondok Kopi, East Jakarta with her
family:
I think the reading habits of the nation in general are at a
low level compared to neighboring countries.
There are usually not many assignments for students to read a
lot of books to motivate them to develop a reading habit.
New TV stations competing with each other for larger audiences
also affect the public's poor reading habits.
By watching TV, viewers can get immediate information rather
than by reading, which is relatively time-consuming.
In this case, I try hard to keep up my reading, at least by
just reading newspapers and magazines.
But I've also learned that poor reading habits have a lot to
do with economic stability. People who earn a low income have to
spend all their time just trying to get by rather than reading
books.
Dewi, 32, is an English instructor at a private English course in Tangerang, Banten. She lives in Tangerang with her family;
I think that the reading habits of our society are poor. I
regret the lack of education that is apparent from early
childhood within the family.
As a matter of fact, reading habits in the family could help
boost communication between parents and children.
It could bring family members even closer together. Children
could also learn to express their opinions clearer or ask for
their parents' opinions. At least, that's what I experienced
during my childhood.
Unfortunately, many parents think that sending their children
to school is enough. They ignore the importance of nurturing a
love for reading within their children.
Besides, the high price of books also affects our nation's
reading habits. Let alone those suffering economic hardship,
people think that survival is far more important than reading
books.
Television programs have also made the situation worse for
many children who prefer to spend long hours in front of the TV.
Shopping malls and entertaining programs on TV are far more
distracting for children and to everyone else in general.
Guritno, 34, is an assistant editor for a publication in
Depok, West Java. He lives in Pancoran, South Jakarta, with his
wife and two children:
Reading is not yet a well-established habit for many people in
the country. That's partly the reason why the country has been
stuck in the prolonged crisis. Both the leaders and the people
lack the proper knowledge that could be gained from reading.
We have a bountiful supply of reputable human resources, but
the poor education system has rendered them useless.
In short, the country's crises are not only caused by economic
factors but by poor education.
There are also less writers willing to write books, which
explains why there are less books published in the country.
People's purchasing power is also still low. The monopoly of
the publication and paper industries has also been an influential
factor.
It is sad to admit that the country has been left far behind
in terms of the knowledge in neighboring countries.
Personally, I am never far from a book because my profession
requires me to do a lot of reading. Fortunately, I enjoy reading
so it's not burdensome for me.
I think that education, along with reading habits, should be
developed in a bid to become a better nation.
-- Leo Wahyudi S