NATIONAL READING SURVEY REVEALS STRONG ACADEMIC HABITS BUT LOW LEISURE READING AMONG MALAYSIAN YOUTH

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (Bernama) -- While Malaysia boasts a high general literacy rate of 94.64%, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 results saw Malaysia rank below the international average for reading, with a decline in scores from 415 in 2018 to 388 in 2022, which underscores the severity of low critical literacy rates. Less than half of participating students achieved the minimum proficiency benchmark.

A recent survey by the Financial Industry Collective Outreach (FINCO), Reading Culture Amongst Malaysian Students, which received 1,168 responses from primary and secondary school students across Malaysia, found a strong positive link between reading and academic achievement. Students who read less frequently tend to achieve lower average grades, which indicates a pressing need for targeted interventions to cultivate a thriving reading culture, particularly in light of declining international assessment scores.