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Arab study claims that the average Arab read only a quarter page a year.

Arab study claims that the average Arab read only a quarter page a year.

Old Jul 22nd 2012, 1:34 pm
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Default Arab study: average Arab reads only a quarter of a page a year.

http://english.alarabiya.net/article...14/226290.html

Sum of all fears: Arabs read an average of 6 pages a year, study reveals


Sounds like BS to me. Tens of millions of Arabs are tuned into popular culture, Facebook, Twitter and online news. There is no way they only read a quarter of a page per year. Are they counting online reading ???

Also the Al Arabiya headline is confusing because the study's claims in the article state quarter of a page per year for the average Arab and 6 mins per year for a child.

Arab Thought Foundation’s Fikr released its fourth annual cultural development report that said an Arab individual on average reads a quarter of a page a year compared to the 11 books read by an American and seven books by a British person. (Reuters)
Earlier this year, a debate on how to foster reading habits among Arab youth was prompted after the Arab Thought Foundation’s Fikr released its fourth annual cultural development report in January, saying that the average Arab child reads “six minutes” a year in comparison to 12,000 minutes its Western counterpart spends.
“If we adopt the minimum average time that youth is on the Internet, that gives us 365 hours a year, and if we compare that with the average time an individual Arab spends reading, which is six minutes a year, then the difference between the two becomes clear, and the importance of the Internet in youths’ lives becomes apparent,” the report said.
Its seems like they do not consider internet reading as reading since they are comparing internet usage against reading


The survey’s results shows similar reading habits across countries. In an Arab League table of readers by nations, the United Arab Emirates placed fifth behind Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and Iraq. In the UAE, just 22 per cent of people described themselves as regular readers.

Last edited by Boomhauer; Jul 22nd 2012 at 1:41 pm.
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Old Jul 22nd 2012, 1:48 pm
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Default Re: Arab study: average Arab reads only a quarter of a page a year.

Don't forget the massive amount that cannot read. Literacy in the Arab world is lowest across all demographics.

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/001...62/146282e.pdf


Over to you Norm...
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Old Jul 22nd 2012, 2:17 pm
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Default Re: Arab study: average Arab reads only a quarter of a page a year.

Originally Posted by Millhouse
Don't forget the massive amount that cannot read. Literacy in the Arab world is lowest across all demographics.

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/001...62/146282e.pdf


Over to you Norm...
Sorry I'm still hungover...on the plus side I have some new books to read though.

N.
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Old Jul 22nd 2012, 2:21 pm
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Default Re: Arab study claims that the average Arab read only a quarter page a year.

Norm - What was that hotel called in Abu Dhabi that a few of us met in for a soiree once?

The bar was on the top floor (Not 49ER'S) was it The Onyx?
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Old Jul 22nd 2012, 2:29 pm
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Default Re: Arab study claims that the average Arab read only a quarter page a year.

Originally Posted by Karlos The Jackal
Norm - What was that hotel called in Abu Dhabi that a few of us met in for a soiree once?

The bar was on the top floor (Not 49ER'S) was it The Onyx?
The Oryx, in Khalidiya....there's a bar by the swimming pool on the roof
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Old Jul 22nd 2012, 2:33 pm
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Default Re: Arab study claims that the average Arab read only a quarter page a year.

This bar was inside, i think it was down the bottom of 7th somewhere and I think it may have been circular. It was in the right past The Sheraton I think heading out of town!
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Old Jul 22nd 2012, 4:05 pm
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Default Re: Arab study claims that the average Arab read only a quarter page a year.

Originally Posted by Karlos The Jackal
This bar was inside, i think it was down the bottom of 7th somewhere and I think it may have been circular. It was in the right past The Sheraton I think heading out of town!
And the award for the 'Most Dramatic But Irrelevant Change Of Topic Direction' goes to KtJ............
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Old Jul 22nd 2012, 5:14 pm
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Default Re: Arab study claims that the average Arab read only a quarter page a year.

Come on Arabs and reading!
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Old Jul 22nd 2012, 11:43 pm
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Default Re: Arab study claims that the average Arab read only a quarter page a year.

In 2008/2009 when I first arrived in Dubai, my kids were at a school with a large number of local kids. My eldest was in grade 5 and kids in her class ranged from 9-13 years of age. The books in the Grade 5 classroom were books you would expect to see in a Year 2/3 classroom here in Aus. The Australian teacher asked me if I would come in for a couple of hours a week and take the kids one on one for reading. I loved the progress some of the local boys and ESL kids made in that time. The problem is that the local kids are not taught to read for the love of it and I don't think they have anyone that will sit with them and read and discuss characters, story lines, events etc. I still say hi to some of them on Facebook when I see them comment on my daughters page and I think they came to enjoy reading with me as much as I enjoyed it. I hope the continued to read after I left.
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Old Jul 23rd 2012, 5:37 am
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Default Re: Arab study claims that the average Arab read only a quarter page a year.

Originally Posted by Kim67
In 2008/2009 when I first arrived in Dubai, my kids were at a school with a large number of local kids. My eldest was in grade 5 and kids in her class ranged from 9-13 years of age. The books in the Grade 5 classroom were books you would expect to see in a Year 2/3 classroom here in Aus. The Australian teacher asked me if I would come in for a couple of hours a week and take the kids one on one for reading. I loved the progress some of the local boys and ESL kids made in that time. The problem is that the local kids are not taught to read for the love of it and I don't think they have anyone that will sit with them and read and discuss characters, story lines, events etc. I still say hi to some of them on Facebook when I see them comment on my daughters page and I think they came to enjoy reading with me as much as I enjoyed it. I hope the continued to read after I left.
their English reading skills were short, but they might have been reading Arabic material at the appropriate level for their age?
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Old Jul 23rd 2012, 5:40 am
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Default Re: Arab study claims that the average Arab read only a quarter page a year.

Originally Posted by Boomhauer
their English reading skills were short, but they might have been reading Arabic material at the appropriate level for their age?
Maybe, but I wouldn't bet on it. Most of them went to the Mosque instead of their arabic lessons.
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Old Jul 23rd 2012, 6:49 am
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Default Re: Arab study claims that the average Arab read only a quarter page a year.

Originally Posted by Kim67
Maybe, but I wouldn't bet on it. Most of them went to the Mosque instead of their arabic lessons.
Quite. A large number of Arabs think the only reason to learn to read is to be able to read the Quran.
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Old Jul 23rd 2012, 7:02 am
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Default Re: Arab study claims that the average Arab read only a quarter page a year.

Originally Posted by OleJanx
Quite. A large number of Arabs think the only reason to learn to read is to be able to read the Quran.
The vast majority of Moslems around the world, can read it (from Arabic) and make the correct sounds. However, they lack the ability to understand the language! - What sort of basis is that, for a religion?
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Old Jul 23rd 2012, 7:34 am
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Default Re: Arab study claims that the average Arab read only a quarter page a year.

Originally Posted by jackthehat
The vast majority of Moslems around the world, can read it (from Arabic) and make the correct sounds. However, they lack the ability to understand the language! - What sort of basis is that, for a religion?
pretty much the basis for every major religion in human history. religions tend to do badly as general education and literacy rates rise
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Old Jul 24th 2012, 3:49 am
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Default Re: Arab study claims that the average Arab read only a quarter page a year.

Just one of the reasons why it's a civilization in trouble. A lot of effort is being made to get them reading. I hope it's not too late.
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