As adult literacy levels decline in S'pore, book clubs offer a solution

They give busy working adults a space to actively read and have deeper discussions

- Gabrielle Chan

Mr Cliff Chew, a 41-year-old data analyst, starts his mornings not by replying to text messages or emails, but with a book in hand, a habit as natural to him as brushing his teeth.

But it was not always this way—he picked up reading seriously only in university, and for years, it remained a solitary habit, he said. That changed when he joined The Saturday Book Club.

"When I read now, I know that there's an opportunity for me to share interesting points, which I do not get when I read alone," said Mr Chew, who goes for the book club's sessions at the Central Public Library, which are held on every third Saturday of the month.

Such book clubs—at least seven have emerged in Singapore in the past two years—offer busy working adults a space to actively read and have deeper discussions with peers, amid a decline in adult literacy.

The latest study of adult skills by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development showed that literacy in adults in Singapore declines sharply after the age of 35, and the downward trend continues as adults age.

The study, which released its findings on Dec 10, defined literacy as the ability to access, understand, evaluate and reflect on written texts to achieve one's goals, develop knowledge and participate in society.

Addressing questions in Parliament about the results, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said in January that promoting reading and sustaining literacy skills for adults is essential for processing and managing information.

"We will have to keep up our effort to continue our encouragement to our people to keep learning, to keep reading, even as they are working, and they have gone beyond the school years," he said.

But it is not always easy to find the time to read, said book club member Mr Chew, as people in his age group have many things that demand their time—work, children, elderly parents.