Get more kids to read English books, says industry player

JOHOR BARU: The print medium such as books remains in high demand, but more efforts should be made to promote reading, especially English materials among students, says Malaysian Book Industry Chamber (MBIC) chairman Keith Thong (pic).Due to distractions from social media and gaming, he said that children in public schools were reading less nowadays.

This, he said, was a concern as Malaysia’s English-reading level was below global standards.

“Private and international school students are recommended to read five books a week, but we are hopeful that our public school students can at least read one book a month.

“To avoid the English language being neglected in Malaysia, all stakeholders have to do something and collaborate to build human capital for the sake of our children’s future and global competitiveness,” he said in an interview yesterday.

Thong said that reading in the Malay medium was improving with the government having many events and activities that proved effective. He said MBIC congratulated the National Library and Education Ministry for their efforts and hard work.

“The Kuala Lumpur book fair, which was held in April, recorded 1.6 million visitors. This is an encouraging number as the figures during the pre-pandemic period was only about one million visitors,” Thong said. “This shows that print is not dying.”

“However, there is a great concern about reading in the English medium as English books are hardly sold in such book fairs,” he said, adding that more needs to be done to improve on this matter.

Thong said that libraries in the country need to have professionals to get children to read.

These places, he said, should also have up-to-date books to attract children. He also said that traditional bookstores in Malaysia would risk closure unless they pivot by offering hybrid sales or provide niche and personalised service.

“Many bookshops are rebranding and opening mega bookstores that have everything and project a certain lifestyle,” Thong said.

He spoke about looking into concepts such as inclusivity and diversity.

“Keep a bigger range of stocks and also non-book products that cater to different groups from various cultures and perspectives,” he said.