Students need to pick up old reading habits: Opinion
In an op-ed, Assoc Prof Julien Cayla from NTU’s NBS discussed how despite Singapore’s abundance of accessible libraries and its high literacy rate, most of his students, by the time they get to university, have not engaged in book reading for a long time.
“As a professor at NTU, I teach in one of the most research-intensive universities in Asia. We have outstanding library facilities. Our libraries have more than a million print books on their shelves. Within our sprawling campus, we have seven libraries,” he wrote.
He explained that with books, the whole world opens up to the reader, providing a gateway to diverse cultures, traditions, and viewpoints.
“Books have the power to nurture empathy, cultivate cultural sensitivity, and enable the reader to cultivate a more expansive outlook on life,” he wrote, adding that these qualities are especially important in a country like Singapore.
“Singapore has one of the most amazing library systems in the world. I hope my students go back to the library and rediscover the joy they once had for reading,” he concluded.