‘Reading Carnival’ in Region Two promotes literacy through technology.

DPI, GUYANA, Friday, September 8, 2017

Students, parents and teachers on Friday participated in a ‘Reading Carnival’ in Region Two. The event was facilitated by the Region’s Educational Department under the theme, “Literacy in a Digital World.”

The Carnival saw students from Nursery, Primary and Secondary schools from across the region participating in the activity in observance of Education Month. The aim of the reading carnival was to bring awareness of the importance of being well-read and how the use of technology can make it a much easier process.

Students decked out in their literacy costumes during the ‘Reading Carnival’.

Nine-year-old Sabirah Khan of Huis’t Dieren Primary said that she enjoyed the occasion. The enthusiastic student said, “Reading is very important to us, we must know how to read, and readers are leaders.”

Fourteen-year-old, Ushana Mohan of Abram Zuil Secondary School said she believes that technology could play a great role in assisting students to learn. “For example, homework, instead of going at a library and hunting through books, you can just go on the internet and you can type in whatever you want and you can find whatever you want,” Mohan explained.

Deborah Torres, a parent who attended the Carnival said that she thought the initiative was a great idea. According to Torres, “reading is everything”. She added that “in the digital world, even from the smallest child, you walk and you see everybody with a gadget, a tablet, a cellphone and it is moving forward and this is a great step for the region.”

Martin Samaroo, a teacher of Huis’t Dieren Primary commended the initiative taken by the Region’s Educational Department. He said that it is something that he has not witnessed in his six years of teaching in the Region. Speaking to the theme, ‘Literacy in a Digital World’ Samaroo stated that “it is important that we remember that as teachers because these kids that are now coming up are so au fait with technology, we are left at a loss even as teachers when it comes to that sort of thing.”

Assistant Chief Education Officer Owen Pollard in his brief remarks reiterated that literacy is everybody’s business. Pollard noted with technology rapidly evolving, it is important that children have the basic level of literacy to begin their lives.

“From this basic level of literacy, children can then move on to improve and develop skills in any field, be it academic, non-academic, cultural or technical” Pollard stated.

Nicole Agard representing National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), called on teachers to take advantage of the use of technology in the classroom. Technology she said has the ability to capture the attention of students and that teachers needs to capitalise on it.

“One way that we know children pay keen attention is through the use of our technology, so we are not just doing it because we want them to feel excited, we are doing it with a target in mind. We want that when the region’s results come out, in every region of Guyana, we must see an improvement in the number of children who are mastering the literacy,” Agard explained.

District Development Officer, Deodat Singh also called on teachers to maximize the use of technology in the classrooms. Speaking to the theme of the carnival, Singh said that, “while we give thought to the needs and development required to facilitate ‘Literacy in a Digital World’, I urge our teachers to begin to explore the technologies that can support progress in the classroom.”

Singh also asked private companies and all relevant authorities to make an investment and recognise the importance of boosting the use of technology within schools.

The ‘Reading Carnival was one of the many Ministry of Education planned activities in observance of Education Month, which is being held under the theme “Promoting Wellness in Communities through Quality Education”.