National unity minister Aaron Ago Dagang said the Malaysian Reading Profile Study 2022/2023 conducted by his ministry jointly with the National Library of Malaysia (PNM) had found that the current reading interest among Malaysians stands at 88.6%.

“The survey results also indicate that the ministry can boost interest in reading further through collaborations with other ministries, such as the higher education ministry, and academic libraries,” he told FMT.

The study is a key indicator in assessing the reading levels of Malaysians to ensure they align with the country’s literacy rate of 97%, as assessed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

The minister said that following another proposal received via the survey, his ministry has set up a national reading index (IMK) to monitor the country’s reading levels from 2025-2030.

Aaron said that between 2023 and June this year, the national unity ministry implemented 93,797 programmes nationwide to promote interest in reading. He said these programmes were run by PNM and the various state, community and village libraries located across the country.

Our programmes were attended by 3,290,958 people, the minister said.

“The ministry, through PNM, is committed to providing the public with information through a variety of reading materials, including printed material and digital resources accessible via its u-Pustaka Portal.

“We aim to instil in Malaysians the reading habit from a young age to help them acquire the knowledge and skills they will need in the future,” said Aaron, who is also the Kanowit MP.

He said PNM has made available 903,854 units of digital content from 20 databases on its u-Pustaka Portal. These are in the form of e-books, e-journals, e-articles, e-learning materials, e-magazines and e-newspapers.

Aaron has urged the public to look out for and participate in the various programmes organised by PNM.