OVER 60 children of the Sophia/Cummings Lodge area graduated from the 14th annual ‘Reading is Fun’ programme hosted by the ‘University of Guyana Library’ in collaboration with Courts Guyana Inc.

The programme, which concluded with a graduation ceremony on Friday, commenced on July 8, 2019, and would have exposed the children to three weeks of reading activities for three days in each week.

The students were engaged in learning vocabulary, spelling, poetry writing, reading for enjoyment and appreciation, comprehension, short stories and storytelling, among others.
Giving an overview of the programme, University of Guyana Librarian, Tammy Hopkinson, stated that the children were placed in groups according to their ages, and were evaluated by their teachers to determine their abilities to read and cope with the outline of the curriculum for their specific levels. The children that were considered “weak” were placed in a remedial class that catered to their needs.

“Based on the final assessment received from the remedial class, the students would have improved and were able to read more effectively at the end of the programme,” she announced.

“Encourage your child to at least read one hour per day. Have them become members of the National Library or a community library and buy more reading materials instead of video games,” Hopkinson urged.

Chief Executive Officer, Courts Guyana Inc., Clyde De Haas, was on hand to share prizes and certificates. Top NGSA students 2019, Dave Chowtie and Ethan Bianchini, also gave words of inspiration to the graduating students.

Hopkinson explained that “though Courts is primarily in the business of furnishing our homes and making them look beautiful, they are also in the business of educating young minds.”

She indicated that the company donated a total of $513,859 to the programme, which was used to provide snacks, teaching materials, stationery, and special prices for participants.
The programme was facilitated by persons drawn from the University of Guyana’s Faculty of Education and Humanities, and staff of the ‘University of Guyana Library’. The ‘University of Guyana Library’ hopes to continue the programme with the assistance of its proud sponsor, Courts Guyana Inc.