Jakarta – Bandung Language Center chief Abdul Khalik announced on Wednesday that the writing culture among Indonesian youths was in a worse state than reading culture.

"Young Indonesians' interest in reading is low and their interest in writing even lower. It is very alarming," Abdul said in Bandung, West Java.

He added that a lack of interest in reading had affected teenagers' interest in writing. "Both influence each other. How can someone write if they are not interested in reading?" Abdul said.

He added that many lecturers had complained about the quality of college students' writing. "The quality of writing done by college students is very low nowadays. This shows that students also have poor reading habits," he said as quoted by Antara news agency.