IN an effort to assist the University of Guyana Berbice Campus (UGBC) with its summer reading programme, Scotia Bank (New Amsterdam) recently presented a cheque valued $100,000 which will go towards ensuring that slow learners are taught new reading techniques.

The annual programme is run through the library department of the campus and is held during the first part of the summer holidays.
Head of the UGBC library, Symone La Rose, explained that the programme targets slow learners from a selected school, and in the past, University students were invited to teach during the three-week activity. According to La Rose, the same approach is being used this year.
“These students or volunteers undergo a crash course in teaching reading; the training of teachers’ course is facilitated by reading specialists attached to the Ministry of Education.”
Ten to fifteen volunteers are targeted to run the three week programme which will run from July 14 to 31, and 60 students are being targeted for the venture.
“We want no more than five to six in a classroom, so that the child gets individual attention,” La Rose noted.
She said before the commencement of the programme, visits are made to the school that has been selected and slow learners are identified and invited to participate.
“An assessment is done to see which school in close proximity to the campus has the need for that particular training,” she explained.
Meanwhile, Branch Manager Scotia Bank New Amsterdam, Vibert Jones, in presenting the cheque to Assistant Director of UGBC, Jacqueline Murray, said that the bank was reaching out to the learning institution based on a request, and Scotia Bank acknowledges the importance that education plays in development of youths.
“This donation is really in keeping with our bright future programme which is geared to enhance the lives of young people; we at Scotia Bank truly believe that with education, we can go a far way because it is the ‘master key’ for success,’ he declared.

(By Michael Khan)