GUYANA’S First Lady, Deolatchmee Ramotar has urged Grade Five students of Regions 2(Pomeroon/Supenaam) and 7 (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) to make reading a significant part of their lives, as opposed to doing so only when studying is required.

Mrs. Ramotar yesterday made it her duty to travel to Cotton Field on the Essequibo Coast to be a part of the final leg of a reading competition that was organised under the theme, “Enhancing literacy through oral language.”
The closing ceremony was held at the Regional Education Office and the initiative was spearheaded by the Demerara Lioness Club in collaboration with the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD), an agency that falls under the Ministry of Education.
Mrs. Ramotar particularly appreciated the fact that the competition was held in Essequibo, having been born and raised in that county. She was high in praise of the organisers of the event for their efforts at improving literacy.
She is hoping that this event, which has been on the scene for the last 20 years, thanks to the Demerara Lioness Club, will encourage greater cooperation between the club and NCERD, while other agencies will be similarly moved to work along with government.
In a brief but substantial presentation, Mrs. Ramotar said she wishes to use her “modest office” to encourage the business community to support the Lions Club.
Her advice to the young winners was simply: “Read, Read, Read.” And highlighting its benefits, she observed that reading brings intellectual and spiritual fulfillment while helping one to explore new ideas and find infinite pleasure and enjoyment.
“I find it very difficult to imagine a life without reading. I love gardening and I love to read. You must change the approach of reading only when you have to study. There is nothing strange or old fashioned about reading for enjoyment,” she told the children.
She further encouraged them to read well-written books and the newspapers. “If you want to write well, you have to read constantly.” She advised parents and teachers not to pressure children into becoming what they want them to become or into taking extra lessons.

The Competition
From Region 2, the schools that participated in the competition were Riverstown Primary, 8th of May Primary, Huis’t Dieren Primary, Sparta Primary, Queenstown Primary, Fisher Primary, Lima Sands Primary and Better Hope Primary.
The schools that participated from Region 7 were Two Miles Primary, Itaballi Primary, Holy Name Primary, Karau Primary, Batavia Primary, Kartabo Primary, Agatash Primary, and Makouria Primary.
Meanwhile, the two schools that reached the final stage of the competition were Two Miles Primary and Fisher Primary. Two Miles’ overall score was 53 points while Fisher Primary won with 58 points.
Sahodra Deonarine received a trophy for being the best reader in Region 2 while Mindy Reid copped the same title in Region 7. The best overall reader in the competition was Samaiah Baksh.
The three judges were Mr. P. Ram and Ms Sandra Persaud of NCERD and Ms Cindy Bovell from the Lions Club.
President Donald Ramotar’s trophy (which he sends each year) was presented to the winning team, Fisher Primary.
Meanwhile, members of the Lions Club present were the president Nafeeza Rodrigues, vice president Cindy Bovell, and other members including Vani Spence, Erena Persaud, Carol Persaud, Maxine Manbodh, Gillian Orderson, Juliet Sears and Nazeela Abdul.
Mrs. Rodrigues delivered stirring remarks to the children, along with the Chief Judge, Mr. Ram, and other members of the Lions Club.
Gifts were also handed out to all of the schools that participated in the competition.