Amman, Sept 28 (Petra) – The importance and benefits of reading for both the individual and society lie in fostering a conscious, cultured generation capable of fending off against ignorance and backwardness, academics say.

Reading contributes to multifaceted self-development and human advancement, thereby driving economic and social progress, they agreed in remarks marking National Reading Day.

Numerous studies indicate that reading stimulates the mind, enhances writing skills, facilitates knowledge, and sharpens analytical and critical abilities, as well as offering mental and psychological health benefits.

The National Reading Day, observed annually on September 29, comes to promote a culture of reading and set it as a daily habit among individuals. The initiative follows a directive issued by the Jordanian Cabinet on September 26, 2023, through which the government seeks to raise societal awareness and enrich knowledge.

In interviews with Petra, academics and intellectuals concurred that "reading is a fundamental element in the renaissance and advancement of societies, and is a crucial key to progress and civilization..

"The act of reading faces its greatest historical challenge, surpassed, of course, only by illiteracy, as active reading is being abandoned in favor of image-based digital tools for children and social media platforms for adolescents and adults," said Shahla Ujayli, a novelist, academic, and professor of Modern Arabic Literature and Cultural Studies at the American University of Madaba (AUM).

"These media drive users and audiences away from books despite the availability of various formats, including print and multiple types of e-books, as well as reading devices and audiobooks, which have lost their significance for new generations born into an era of scrolling through mobile screens," she said.

She further observed, based on her academic and cultural experience, that aspiring and even established writers often read only sporadically, with limited or superficial engagement with literature. Consequently, they struggle to construct grammatically correct Arabic sentences, formulate complete ideas, or express themselves persuasively; they possess impoverished personal vocabularies and a weak grasp of semantic nuance, she added.

Ujayli called for a national strategy and a clear action plan, encompassing schools at all levels, universities, and institutions, to foster a culture of reading in general, and literary or cultural reading in particular.

"This approach should not just be about raising awareness, but should be mandatory. It should incorporate public reading campaigns, offer prizes, and cultivate a spirit of healthy competition regarding reading within society, while prioritizing high-quality, engaging books that offer profound and contemporary content," she said.

Ujayli also advocated for supporting and encouraging grassroots reading clubs and honoring their organizers, adding that collective reading fosters distinctive communities bound by shared, noble aspirations.

"In celebrating National Reading Day, we do not just celebrate the book as paper bound between two covers, nor reading as just another daily habit to add to our routine, but we celebrate something far deeper: the human capacity to live multiple lives, to see through eyes other than one’s own, to travel to times and places one has never visited, and to encounter human experiences one could not have lived personally, said Riyad Yassin, President of the Jordanian Writers Association.

Yassin, a Professor of History and Civilization at Yarmouk University and a researcher and academic, said that "a reader does not live their life in isolation; every book holds another life, every novel embodies a person's memory, and every poem holds a heart striving to articulate something that reality itself could not express."

"When we read, we temporarily borrow the eyes of others to view the world; we draw closer to their dreams, frustrations, and questions, discovering that what we consider a purely personal experience has already been lived by others, perhaps with even greater harshness or beauty," he said.

He emphasized the vital role of cultural institutions, including the Jordanian Writers Association, which "in its deepest sense, is neither just a meeting place for writers, nor just a professional framework for intellectuals, but is part of the space where culture strives to keep inquiry alive, upholding the human right to think, to dissent, and to seek meaning in the events unfolding around us."

Yassin said that recognizing the importance of reading, the Writers Association will soon launch a "Book of the Month" initiative, in collaboration with the "Naqsh" team, a group comprising Jordanian university students with creative interests.

The Association, he said, launched a monthly reading program with the team, hosting students each month to discuss a book, in an effort to foster an enduring connection between youth and books, between reading and dialogue, and between knowledge and cultural practice.

Zuhair Tawfiq, President of the Jordanian Critics Association, said that reading is a societal, psychological, and intellectual necessity for the continuous and healthy cognitive development of both the individual and society as a whole; it also underscores the importance of lifelong learning, which does not cease at any specific age.

Tawfiq, a writer and academic, called for a re-evaluation of cultural practices and educational theories concerning the youth. He advocated for facilitating young people's access to books that foster mental skills, critical thinking, logic, methodological approaches, and conceptual formation.

As for adults, he noted the availability of numerous books, as well as modern, instructive media, suitable for developing the cognitive skills required in the current era and for overcoming digital illiteracy.

"The book is the world’s true historical treasure, encapsulating all the knowledge, theories, and laws humanity has achieved," said Tawfiq, adding that books are inextricably linked to civilization, marking humanity's transition from a state of nature to the era of history, from a natural being to a civilized one through writing, culture, and civilization building.

//Petra//SS



28/09/2026 17:33:46