THE People’s Progressive Party (PPP), yesterday, joined the Ministry of Education in its campaign to promote literacy, by distributing hundreds of books to the public at Freedom House on Robb Street, in Georgetown.

A tent was set up outside the party’s headquarters for the purpose and was facilitated, as well, by volunteers from the youth arm, the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO).
Party General Secretary and Home Affairs Minister, Mr. Clement Rohee said the activity was in observance of Education Month and announced that similar exercises will conducted in Essequibo and Berbice.
“This is all about bringing books to the people. This, as you know, is Literacy Month; the Minister of Education has launched Literacy Month, she has also launched a week of reading and we want to contribute to that by making a number of books available,” he stated.
Rohee said the books, distributed free of cost, were available to members of the public who were allowed to each choose two books.
His satisfaction
At the time of speaking with the media yesterday morning, he expressed his satisfaction with the response by the public and added that he expected it to be even more overwhelming as the day progressed.
Meanwhile, PPP Education Secretary, Mr. Hydar Ally said that the handing out was an initiative of the party to promote reading.
“We recognise that there is need for people to read more good literature. I can assure you that the literature that we have available to the public is not second or third rate, this is good, progressive literature,” he declared.
Ally encouraged persons to read the books and “not only take them and decorate their shelves.”
He said hundreds of volumes of various kinds were being distributed, among them novels, political, children’s, technical and other educational books.
Ally said the PPP would especially like to encourage young people to read more and is in full support of the Education Ministry’s drive to promote reading.
The books provided yesterday were those that the PPP would have accumulated over years, said its Media Coordinator, Mr. Romel Roopnarine.