Why are Hong Kong parents not reading to their children?
Just 13 per cent often read to them compared with international average of 39 per cent
A competitive education system and parents not reading enough are just some of the reasons Hong Kong slid to third in a recent global literacy study, experts have said.
The reading comprehension level of Primary Four pupils in the city was ranked third, overtaken by Russia and Singapore, in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2016, released in December. The study assessed pupils from 50 countries and regions. The city had been ranked first in the previous edition of the study in 2011.
Children in Hong Kong are raised to excel, not to be happy, and experts say that is worrying
Figures show that just 13 per cent of Hong Kong parents often read to their children compared with an international average of 39 per cent.
But reading standards do not need to fall, according to the executive director of Bring Me a Book, Pia Wong.
“If goodhabits are established at a young age, children will want to read later on in life. The key is exposing and practising a good reading habit from a very early age,” Wong said.
The key is exposing and practising a good reading habit from a very early age
“That is really where the problem lies for Hong Kong because parents don’t understand the importance of reading to their children, making it fun, giving them skills to read aloud and to be able to choose fun books and to guide them.”