Among the major challenges the nation is facing other than its high rate of illiteracy, is low interest in reading at all levels of society. We appreciate the success of concerned parties in reducing the illiterate population ranging from 15 to 59 years of age.
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Among the major challenges the nation is facing other than its high rate of illiteracy, is low interest in reading at all levels of society.
We appreciate the success of concerned parties in reducing the illiterate population ranging from 15 to 59 years of age. Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data shows that 15.4 million Indonesians (10.2 percent of the population) were illiterate in 2004. This number decreased to 7.54 million people (5.02 percent) in 2010 and 3.4 million people (2.07 percent) in 2017.
The decline in illiteracy is a reason for joy, but remains far from satisfactory, as 3.4 million illiterate is still too many people for a developing country like Indonesia. Besides, literacy alone is not enough, and must be accompanied by a high public interest in reading.
Herein lies the problem. A 2017 National Library study found that the frequency of reading among Indonesians was a mere 3 to 4 times a week at 30 to 59 minutes per day. This is less than an hour per day, and far below the UNESCO standard of 4-6 hours of reading per day. Indonesians finish reading an average of only 5 to 9 books a year.
A March 2016 study by the Central Connecticut State University ranked Indonesia 60th out of 61 countries in terms of reading interest. Among the surveyed countries, Indonesia ranked above Botswana (61) but below Thailand (59).
This ranking is ironic, as a great number of books are published in Indonesia. Some 67,731 new titles were published in 2014, followed by 70,836 in 2015 and 81,374 in 2016.
From these figures, the gap between the number of published books and the number of books read is clearly visible. Many factors contribute to this phenomenon, including the high price of books, difficulty accessing particular titles and the costly distribution of books.
Fortunately, public awareness on the importance of reading is on the rise. Apart from the Culture and Education Ministry’s National Literacy Movement, the National Library provides free access to 12,000 e-books through its iPusnas app. Around 6,000 community libraries have also cropped up across the country.
There are also the Pustaka Bergerak and anakbertanya.com initiatives managed by literacy advocates, including female migrant workers, that distribute more than 90 tons of books to several regions with free shipping from state postal service PT Pos Indonesia.
We hope such campaigns will continue to blossom, as it is impossible to improve our human resources quality without public awareness and improvements in education and literacy. We also stress the importance of schools and parents in nurturing children’s interest in reading.