Daily Times

Developing reading habits is like a blessing for the mind, a nutritious vitamin for health. It is rightly said, “Reading makes a full man.” One can easily learn to distinguish between various subjects if one read on a regular basis and writing is connected to reading as well because in order to be a writer, one also needs to be a good reader. No one can write until he or she reads. This is mainly because reading helps develop both creativity and intellect. Regular reading habits will this help also help develop a writer’s confidence and pace. Moreover, reading on a wide range of topics and subject will also increase the reader’s knowledge on certain matters and as they say, “Knowledge is power.”

However, a lack of reading leads to a lack of knowledge and creativity as well as competitiveness when it comes to school and other areas. On the other hand, reading has countless advantages. In addition to increased creativity, it develops language and communication skills as well as confidence and the ability to study and know things in more depth.

It is a widely known fact that Pakistani students do not read as much as they should and thus face various problems that would have been avoided had they been avid readers. A recent survey was carried out by Gallup and Gilani Pakistan and it shows that three in four Pakistanis don’t read any sort of books at all and only 9 percent are avid readers which is quite disappointing.

It is a widely known fact that Pakistani students do not read as much as they should and thus face various problems that would have been avoided had they been avid readers. A recent survey was carried out by Gallup and Gilani Pakistan and it shows that three in four Pakistanis don’t read any sort of books at all and only 9 percent are avid readers which is quite disappointing

When asked about the number of hours they spent on reading items ranging from novels and magazines to religious books and travel journals, 16% of the respondents answered that they spend an hour in a day reading books, 3% said 2 hours, 2% said 3 hours, 2% said 4 hours, 2% said more than 4 hours, and sadly 75% declared that they did not spend any time reading any kind of books. Moreover, another study was released by Gilani Research Foundation that was carried out among a sample of 1,178 men and women in rural and urban areas of all four provinces of the country, between 23rd February and 03 March 2019. The error margin is estimated to be approximately ± 2-3 per cent at the 95% confidence level.

Therefore, it is no surprise that when appearing for the Civil Superior Service exam, the majority of the students failed in the essay section. It is assumed that candidates make common mistakes. They have very poor writing skills, inadequate grammar skills, unsatisfactory sentence structure and lack of writing practice. The sole reason has been identified as a lack of reading. It should be known that there is no shortcut to acquire the knowledge and skills developed through reading. Students need to be advised to avoid the internet as a means of avoiding reading and be made to understand that the benefits of the shortcuts through the internet are only short term. In fact, it is rightly said, “A reader lives thousands lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only once.” George R.R Martin. Someone who has read numerous books will have lived numerous lives through the characters he or she has read about as compared to someone who has only looked up a few facts online.

The writer is a student at International Islamic University, Islamabad. He can be reached at abbas.naveed2017@gmail.com