LETTERS: As the saying goes, reading is a bridge that leads to knowledge. Even the first verse of the Quran revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) commands him to read.
Through reading, millions of cells in the brain are communicating with each other and this increases intelligence.
Knowledge and information can be gleaned from the experiences of writers.
They may have left this world a long time ago but their writings will live forever.
For example, many books written by Ibnu Batutta and Buya Hamka are available up to this day.
Nowadays, youth, especially students of higher education, seem to have lost interest in reading books or articles.
They think it is boring and are afraid of being labelled as bookworms if they are seen holding books.
They only read books to pass examinations.
With the Movement Control Order (MCO), students had been on campus and were only recently allowed permission to go home.
The students should be thankful because their universities are concerned about their safety and welfare.
On campus, the students have a conducive place to stay and study with a lot of privacy and free high-speed Internet connection.
It's very comfortable being on campus, especially when the teaching and learning process has to be conducted via Open And Distance Learning (ODL).
The provision of high-speed Internet should be used correctly and not only to go on social media or watch uneducational online videos.
Internet connection should be used to learn new skills and gain knowledge.
To nurture a reading culture among the students, Universiti Teknologi Mara has promoted an e-book system. This system was developed in 2000.
There are almost 17,000 e-books and journals that can be accessed for free. Due to the extension of the MCO, students can use the time to access this extensive e-book collection.
With this facility, they can read the e-books leisurely regardless of where they are.
While students are now allowed to go home, the access to these remains the same. They just need an Internet connection.
It is hoped that during this period that students of higher education will develop an interest in reading.
As the saying goes, we do not love something we have no knowledge of. Once we get to know it, however, we will learn to love it. Reading is exactly that.
UMAIRA OTHMAN KOYA
DEPUTY REGISTRAR
FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times