60% of preschoolers never see a book

60% of preschoolers never see a book

About 60% of Thai children never even get to see a book in the first three years of their lives, according to the former president of the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (PUBAT).

Citing a study conducted in 2008, Rissawol Aramcharoen said the parents of over five million young children never read any stories, or fairy tales, to their children when they are young.

These children had also never been involved in activities that could develop their intelligence, she told told a seminar to mark International Literacy Day on Sunday.

Photo by Pawat Laopaisarntaksin

The former PUBAT chief pointed out that without these activities, Thai children were slower to learn than children in more literate countries.

She said only 40% of children in this age group grow up in homes with books. The rest never see or touch a book until they start going to school.

Mrs Rissawol also said parents were more likely to push their children between the age of seven and 12 years to compete in beauty pageants and talent shows instead of focussing on their education and school activities.

Meanwhile, over five million children aged 13 to 18 had left school altogether and the number keeps growing, she said.

To tackle this issue, former permanent secretary for Education Khunying Kossama Worrawan na Ayutthaya said the ministry must give more importance to the non-formal, or informal, education system so that these children have a chance to educate themselves even though they cannot afford to go to school.

Khunying Kossama also stressed the importance of educational research to help better understand and develop the education system and tackle the illiteracy problem in the country.

Education Minister Suchart Thadathamrongvej said Thailand's literacy rate is growing. He said 97% of the population can read and the remaining 3% are mostly elderly.

He said the ministry is working on ways to get children more interested in reading.

As for the adult population who can’t read well, the ministry has set up an 8-month fast track course for them to complete their high school education.

The minister said he hoped the programme would reduce the number of people who cannot read and write.

Prasert Boonrueng, secretary general of the Office of Non-Formal and Informal Education (NFE) said a study in 2010 found that Thais read an average of eight lines per year, while Asean members like Vietnam and Malaysia read an average five books per year.

People in European countries read an average of 16 books a year, he added.

The secretary general said the reason for this is perhaps because people are more interested in learning from other media, such as the internet.

He said the NFE is trying to encourage people to read more by setting up a “Home Books” programme to distribute good books to the people.

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