A report released last week suggests that reading for pleasure has seen a massive 40 per cent dip over the last two years. Based on a study by the University of Florida, the study found that, while reading among the young reached a peak in 2004, it has seen a steady decline of 3 per cent per annum over the last 15 years.
This study has been duplicated in other places and the data is not more encouraging.
According to an Indian newspaper, “Today, reading feels almost like a lost art. Once, the aisles of libraries were utopian realms where curiosity thrived and imagination soared,” but it no longer feels this way.
In the Middle East, initiatives to encourage reading in schools point to a recognition of the problem as gradually increasing.
We don’t have to look very far to know the reasons for this falling trend: wide access to technology and social media, reduced access to public libraries, a heavy school syllabus that makes reading for pleasure difficult, and the general perception that reading is ‘a waste of time’, all contribute to this malaise.
Nor are we unaware of the results of such fall in reading habits: a lack of general knowledge, and human empathy, reduced attention span and a general inability to process information in various subjects.
But while there is much focus on how trends in reading are falling massively, there is less attention paid to how this issue can, and must be addressed. The solutions are not beyond us as individuals.
A non-negotiable tactic is setting up an example. As parents, siblings, and other role models, it is of utmost importance that we encourage a healthy reading habit by just doing it ourselves. There is no way that children will learn to spend quiet moments with a book if parents are seen to be chatting on the phone or watching a movie online.
Reading aloud, night time reading and having conversations about reading on the dinner table must be important parts of family life.
Listening is essential too. Following up on what children or young adults are reading gives us a window to their thoughts. This means listening to them, and not with just one ear.
Making reading a fun activity and not a chore is the most important task of an adult. This can come in many ways – having scrapbooks, encouraging drawing or painting based on readings if the child is so inclined, and even encouraging songs and jingles can be an entertaining way to include reading in the daily routine.
Supervised online activity with engagement in social media can be another way of encouraging children to read. Online platforms introduce youngsters to other children their age who could share reading suggestions and engage in short conversations. Once this is supervised, the move towards independent involvement in online book clubs could be smoother.
Reading is one of the most entertaining and informative ways of knowing about our world. That this is a falling trend should worry us all enough to come up with practical solutions that take into account local and cultural sensitivities.
The writer is Associate Professor, Sultan Qaboos University
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