15/09/2026

LYFE TUESDAY | SEPT 15, 2026

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o Teen reading slumps to worst this century due to surge in screentime Picking up books less likely among adolescents

T EENAGERS more accustomed to smartphones than Shakespeare are reading at the worst levels seen this century, driving a broader decline in education, a global student assessment found. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s 2025 test of 760,000 15-year-olds across 91 countries showed reading, mathematics and science scores at their lowest levels since data began to be collected in 2000. On average, students were reading at a level that had in the past been expected of students one year younger, according to the OECD’s latest Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) released recently. A 2012 reading high of 501 on Pisa’s index had declined to a score of 466 last year. The test is widely regarded as the world’s leading gauge of educational performance and its results are closely scrutinised by governments and educators, reported Reuters. “In reading, more screentime and less reading for pleasure have gone hand in hand with weaker results. “We’re also seeing more hasty reading, students rushing through a text and giving a quick wrong answer,” OECD head Mathias Cormann told a press conference. Reading scores fell more sharply in students from better-off backgrounds, the study added. Hindered by falling reading standards, average teenage science and maths skills were also at their lowest this century. Science fell from a 2009 high of 506 on the index to 486, while maths was down from 502 to 469 in the same period. East Asia was the

FIVE-YEAR-OLD Malaysian Heyra Jeganath has been recognised by the International Book of Records as the world’s youngest person to publish a memoir, according to a statement issued on Sept 5. Her book, Heyra, The Big Sister , was published by Fortune Tale Publishing House on Dec 12, 2025. The 25-page English-language children’s storybook is aimed at readers aged three to eight and is available in an A5 paperback format. She also received the Youngest Author in Asia and Asia’s Youngest Achiever Award titles from Asia Awards, while the Malaysia Book of Records recognised her as the country’s youngest author. “Writing a self-memoir allowed me to share my unique perspective and story with the world. “To be recognised as the World’s Youngest memoirist by the International Book of Records, alongside honours from the Asia Awards and the Malaysia Book of Records, is an incredible dream come true. I hope my journey encourages other children around the world to dream big and express themselves through their own stories,” said the young author. Five-year-old Heyra’s memoir earns global recognition Heyra, The Big Sister draws from Heyra’s experience of missing her mother during a prolonged hospital stay. – PIC FROM DR BEESOON AS the latest instalment in the Gruffalo series reached bookshelves recently, author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler reflected on more than two decades of collaboration, saying the enduring popularity of their beloved monster had exceeded anything they imagined when they first created him. Donaldson, whose Gruffalo books have sold more than 18.2 million copies worldwide, said she tries not to dwell on how many children listen to her stories at bedtime, joking that the thought would keep her awake at night. Gruffalo Granny, the first new Gruffalo story in more than 20 years, follows the Gruffalo and his daughter as they prepare for a visit from her Granny, whose huge appetite sends them in search of a meal. The mouse they capture plots its escape, while they plan to serve it for dinner. Speaking at the book’s launch in London, Donaldson said the idea may have been influenced by her own family life. “I’ve got nine grandchildren and in this story, it ends up with the grandmother telling stories to the grandchild, so maybe that was at the back of my mind,” she said. Scheffler, who has illustrated several Donaldson books including Room on the Broom and Stick Man , said he had never expected there would be another Gruffalo sequel, despite the original book having been translated into 113 languages and dialects. The pair said their decades-long partnership has thrived because they work largely independently, joking that limited contact during the creative process may be the secret to their success. As to whether they might make another

Teens are doing less reading and are likelier to be distracted by their digital devices instead. – 123RFPIC

The OECD said students reported spending 3.4 hours per weekday for leisure on digital devices on average in OECD member countries and another three hours per weekday in the classroom and at home for learning purposes. Digital devices could be used to improve learning but only up to a point, Cormann said. If used more than five hours a day, results started to fall, he added. The study also found nearly half of students use artificial intelligence chatbots regularly for learning but those who use them for drafting essays, summarising texts and researching topics generally score about 20 points lower in science, equivalent to a year’s learning.

best-performing region. Chinese cities that participated in the test, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan had the best educational systems with Britain and Estonia the only countries outside the region that made it into the top 10 in reading, mathematics and science. Digital distraction The report stopped short of endorsing smartphone bans in schools. But it said digital distraction is linked to lower science scores in 59 of 82 education systems studied and more than one in four students said devices distract classmates in science lessons.

Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson reflects on lifetime of storytelling

“I started writing because of the books and poems that I read as a child, so it’s nice to think of it as a kind of chain going through the generations. “I love reading. I think it’s one of the greatest pleasures there is, so I just feel it will last,” she said. – Reuters The book follows the titular Gruffalo and his daughter, as they prepare for the arrival of the ravenous Granny Gruffalo . – PIC FROM INSTAGRAM @WATERSTONES

Donaldson (right) and Scheffler say their partnership benefits from their independent work. – REUTERSPIC

in their spare time, Scheffler said he hopes their books encourage children to read and be creative. Donaldson said she is heartened by letters from young readers who write stories of their own and remains optimistic about the future of books.

sequel in future, Donaldson and Scheffler suggested clumsy dragon Zog could be a candidate for another outing, despite having already spawned one follow-up story. With a National Literacy Trust report published earlier this year finding that just over one in three children in the UK enjoys reading