Statistics reveal that a Malaysian is not a bookworm as he or she reads only an average of two to three books  a year. This is a far cry even from other countries in the region, such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, South  Korea and Singapore.

Several reasons can be attributed to the poor reading culture in our country.

Firstly, the technological revolution has our citizens now glued to the television, computer or gaming devices instead of books.

Next is the lack of reading facilities like libraries, particularly in rural areas. Those in urban areas, on the hand, are not all well-maintained.

On top of that, the lack of sustained campaigns on the importance of reading also hampers efforts to inculcate
the habit among the people of this country.

Elsewhere, though bookstores are mushrooming, rising book prices have deterred Malaysians from lavishing
their hard-earned money on books.

Some may argue that our younger generations do read a lot.

However, the kind of materials they read really saddens me. Most of them prefer to spend time on entertainment magazines which focus more on celebrities and gossip.

How do we go about improving the reading atmosphere among Malaysians?

Firstly, there is a need for more public libraries to be set up for people to read or borrow books.

The lowering of tariffs on imported books will also be a great move to start the ball rolling in developing a well-read society.

Beside these, year-round campaigns are needed to create or raise awareness on the importance of reading.

The government can also encourage the habit by further increasing tax rebates on book purchases among
working people.

As for schools, libraries need to be upgraded, especially those in a dilapidated state. Schools can also hold
reading competitions and giving out prizes in the form of books or vouchers instead of trophies or medals.

On the same note, those subscribing to educational magazines through schools should be given special  discounts if they are ordered in bulk.

For parents, set up a mini-library in the house to create a conducive reading atmosphere. Children should be rewarded with books, magazines or book vouchers instead of toys or snacks.

Parents can also be role models for their young by pursuing reading as a hobby. This will eventually influence
or have an impact on children taking up reading as a past-time.

They can also bring along their children to book exhibitions or bookstores more often to expose them to
the world of reading.

Last but not least, if parents can read newspapers with their children everyday, who knows, it might even be the first step for the young ones to love reading.

Lee Tze Yan
UEP Subang Jaya