THE National Library, with the continued support of its partner P&P Insurance Brokers, has launched another year of its annual National Library’s inter-prisons essay and short story competition and inter-schools quiz competition 2017.
Chief Librarian, Emiley King, accepted regular donations from the insurance representatives on Monday, when the competition was officially opened at the National Library. King told the Guyana Chronicle that its literacy competitions have been running since 2009, since the insurance company pledged its support in the area of literacy. What is even more astounding about the assistance of the company, she noted, is their continued support of incarcerated persons through the literacy initiative.
“We look at it as part of the rehabilitation process. It is something to say to them (prisoners) that you are not forgotten and we look forward to your successful return to society.” King explained that having this type of competition with prisoners helps to improve their literacy levels and being rewarded for it. The senior librarian said it was even found that some excellent literary pieces do come out of the prisons.
The overall aim of the essay and short story competition organisers say, is to help improve prisoners’ self-image and self-esteem. To instill the pride of hard work and achievement, to help engage in healthy rivalry, a love for creative writing, positive expression of feelings and writing as a past time, among other benefits. The competition will see participants entering from the Georgetown, New Amsterdam, Timehri, Mazaruni and Lusignan prisons. The categories are based on age groups from 17 to 36 and over. Each group will have four topics to write on, or sentences, to be incorporated into their essays.
The first prize winner will receive $10,000, a trophy and a book. The second and third place winners will receive $7,000 and $5,000 respectively, as well as a trophy and a book. The competition will run until June 30. In the meantime, the school quiz will commence on April 25 and conclude on May 31, with three rounds to be played involving secondary and primary school level students.
Students will have to answer questions taken from the National Library Handbook, the Geography of Guyana, Guyana our Country, 100 Great West Indian Test Cricketers, and CXC Mathematics among many others. The areas of questioning will involve English, Literature, Agriculture, Visual Arts, and Social Studies among others. It is said that students reading and research skills will be improved. Their knowledge-base becomes wider, while their retentive capabilities are improved. The competition seeks to foster healthy rivalry, and help students develop confidence and poise among other benefits. The library also hopes that the competition will help students recognise the importance of the facility as an information source.
The schools with the highest points will emerge as winners. They will receive monetary prizes, books, trophies; an all-purpose printer for the top school and a compact disc player for the runner-up schools. Eight primary and eight secondary schools are expected to participate in the competition. It will be recorded at the National Centre of Educational Resource Development Building in Kingston and televised.
