{
  "id": 17406218,
  "title": "Kementerian Perpaduan pacu aspirasi Dekad Membaca Kebangsaan",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/kementerian-perpaduan-pacu-aspirasi-dekad-membaca-kebangsaan",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-31T12:51:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2026/10/31/kementerian-perpaduan-pacu-aspirasi-dekad-membaca-kebangsaan"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The National Unity Ministry has launched a decade-long campaign aimed at reading aspirations for Malaysia, aiming to make the country a nation of readers by 2030. Minister Aaron Ago Dagang announced that a record-breaking 422,994 participants attended 146 programs in the previous year, compared to 234,158 participants in 2024 and 112,408 in 2023. The ministry has continued several initiatives this year, including the Jom Baca Bersama for 10 Minutes program, the 2026 Picture Writer Carnival, the Legacy Language 2026 Wacana, Media and Information Literacy Sunday, the Bestari Community Touch Program, and the Science Journey. The increase in participants since recent years reflects positive progress in the ministry's efforts to expand reading culture and bring the community closer to knowledge. The event, organized by the National Library of Malaysia (PNM) in collaboration with the Melaka Public Library Corporation (Perpustam), took place over four days from October 29 to November 1, attracting an estimated 35,000 visitors. PNM also organized the National Family Reading Corner Family Reading Competition 2026, which received 336 national entries. The program received further support with 84 Special Book Rating Libraries participating. In addition to book exhibitions and sales, the carnival featured various activities such as Inspirational Speeches, Creative Writing Workshops, and Literacy Footprints. Aaron emphasized that the carnival encourages broader and more relaxed participation in reading activities. Physical books, according to Aaron, have a unique advantage over smartphones, as they help families create a closer communication space and improve children's language and imagination development. Many younger generations use improper language, and reading together with parents can help them learn better vocabulary, according to Suhaida Afindi, a 30-year-old teacher. Ahmad Syahir Hakim Zulkifli, 36, believes physical books allow better focus on reading, as digital reading can be disrupted by social media or other applications. For high school students, reading is part of their daily life with a wide range of reading materials. Muhammad Zharif Naufal Salehuddin, a 14-year-old reader since the age of six, can spend up to two books a day depending on the time available. Reading broadens knowledge and helps develop thinking and understanding of various subjects, according to Muhammad Darwish Aqasha Abdullah, 13. She cautioned about the dangers of relying on social media for reading, emphasizing the importance of verifying fact accuracy to prevent the spread of misinformation.",
  "summary": "Kementerian Perpaduan Negara pergiat kempen galakan membaca sepanjang tahun bagi mencapai cita-cita negara pembaca menjelang 2030.",
  "key_points": [
    "National Unity Ministry launches 10-year reading campaign for Malaysia by 2030",
    "422,994 participants attended 146 programs in previous year, record-breaking"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}