Jakarta, MINA – The head of the National Library of Indonesia (Perpusnas), E. Aminudin Aziz, has revealed a troubling statistic: the average Indonesian reads only six books per year, spending a mere 129 hours annually on this activity. This, he says, indicates that the country’s reading culture remains very low.
“When we talk about books, the number read per year is only six, which means our reading culture is very low. If there are 365 days in a year, that’s only 5.9 days. From the data we were presented with, it turns out we only spend 129 hours a year reading books,” he said during an online webinar titled “Nationalism and Bung Hatta Lighting the Torch of Literacy” in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Aminudin clarified that this figure excludes time spent reading social media, news, or religious texts. However, he noted that the data is concerning when compared to other countries.
To address this issue, Perpusnas has launched a program to distribute 1,000 books to community reading parks (TBMs), prisons, and local literacy communities. The program doesn’t just distribute books, but also ensures the books are appropriate for children’s interests.
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“It’s not those children don’t like to read; it’s that the books aren’t suited to their interests or age. Why would you give books about catfish farming to schoolchildren? Of course, they won’t be interested in reading it, and it’s not age-appropriate. When I went to Kalimantan, for example, it was proven that if you provide books that match their interests, the reading culture will increase, and they’ll be fighting over the books,” he explained.
In addition to book distribution, Perpusnas is also running the Community Literacy Volunteer (Relima) program, which is currently active in 180 regencies and cities. The plan is to expand this program to all regions of Indonesia.
To further cultivate a reading habit, Perpusnas is also promoting a “One Book a Week” movement for middle and high school students. This initiative aims to improve Indonesia’s Community Literacy Development Index (IPLM), which was categorized as “moderate” in 2024 with a score of 73.52.
A manuscript and video review competition for the “One Book a Week” movement is open until October 31, 2025. Perpusnas will award a total of 85 million rupiah in prizes to 10 students and four of the most active schools. The winning manuscript reviews will also be published in a review anthology book. [Shibgho]
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