Character, society, and the nation as a whole are considered to be built upon the fundamentals of productive book reading. It provides access to a vast knowledge base: politics, economy, history, literature, culture, and other topics reading is essential for lifelong learning and independent knowledge acquisition; Additionally, reading is the primary means of expanding one's vocabulary, so the more one reads, the more likely they are to engage in creative writing.
Reading helps people develop the skills they need to advance themselves and the nation as a whole. However, it now appears as though we are living in an age of internet browsing, playing with cell phones, etc. The practice of reading a book in a quiet library corner has become passé.
Today, one in three Pakistanis over the age of 10 cannot comprehend anything they read or write in any language. — Pakistan National Education Policy Framework, 2018
Books were regarded as a source of knowledge for developing verbal abilities, improving concentration, enhancing imagination, and a good pastime not too long ago, when the book-reading culture was a visible landmark of the educated lot. However, reading habits are gradually declining in Pakistani society over time, particularly among youth.
In the past, Pakistan was a society with a lot of literature and literary life; however, this is no longer the case. Both the number of high-quality books published in Pakistan and the general public's interest in reading have, without a doubt, decreased.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) started a project in 2014 to learn more about Pakistan's reading culture and what causes it to decline. Management Systems International (MSI) carried out the study, which I designed and managed. A telling finding emerged from this investigation: Children in the primary grades are more likely than any other age group to read for pleasure, in addition to what is required for religious and educational purposes.
There are a number of factors that could be attributed to the youth book reading culture's decline, but internet technology topped them all. It has had the greatest impact on students' reading habits in schools, colleges, and universities.
Technology has unquestionably contributed to society's development in various ways, but at the same time, it is removing the genuine charm of life that we were raised with, which was immersing ourselves in the world of reading. If reading wasn't encouraged, it would remain merely a habit that older generations talked about and practiced. It is said that internet technology misuse should be prohibited in order to maintain a strong reading culture among school-going children. We must look at the deep reasons that attract young students to internet technology, and work on them to build a strong reading culture among them. It is not enough to say that it is an individual's personal choice and no one can stop them from spending time online. Instead, we should try to save our children from this 'wicked' tendency and bring positive changes in their behavior so that the reading culture in India will not die out. Everyone should contribute something to promote this culture because it is merely a matter of tomorrow that we might no more get opportunities to read and feed minds from books.
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