RIYADH, 2 October 2005 — If you are a Saudi teenager, it is more than likely that you are not reading right now, according to the latest Arab News survey.
In fact, the survey, in which 250 Riyadh public school students aged 13-15 were polled, revealed that more than 85 percent of the students do not read in their free time.
The survey, conducted with the help of Muhammad Makdary, an Arabic teacher, showed that not only do Saudi schoolchildren lack good reading habits, but they also cannot differentiate between a library and a bookstore, or maktaba in Arabic.
Asked whether he had ever been to the King Fahd National Library, eighth-grader Salman Al-Zahrani was surprised we would even be asking the question. “No. I think that library is meant only for university students or professors,” Salman said.
In the Arab News survey, when students were asked how they fill their leisure time, a majority said they either watch TV or play computer games.
“Their conversation revolves mostly around cars, mobile phones and chatting on the Internet, on which they spend hours,” Makdary told Arab News.
The findings also mirror a new survey undertaken by the Arab Advisers Group, according to which about 89 percent of Arab households in Saudi Arabia have satellite television. Whether there is a correlation between the two surveys is a matter for further study.
The Ministry of Education already is working to strengthen students’ reading skills. New Arabic textbooks for elementary schools have been issued this year. One of them, “Reading Skills,” is intended to guide the students through the dictionary. Teachers point out that many students cannot look up a word in an Arabic dictionary.
The new publication is intended to fill this gap by teaching them the basics.
Culture and Information Minister Dr. Iyad Madani recently announced plans to open more libraries in the Kingdom, but both parents and teachers reacting to the survey said more needs to be done.
“It would be a good idea for the government to specify a particular week annually as ‘Reading Week’ to promote reading habits among children,” said parent Abdul Aziz Al-Mehainy, noting that a correlation has been proven between reading skill and student performance.
Makdary suggested that reading incentive programs should be considered. “Since the schools have their own budgets, it would be easy for management to give such incentives,” Makdary said.
Although the sample is small, the results should be of concern to parents, teachers, administrators and ministry officials because it shows kids aren’t reading, and in an increasingly competitive global marketplace, that could spell trouble in the future.
