Courts Guyana Inc on Wednesday handed over a $270,000 cheque to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana (UG) in support of its yearly Reading is Fun Programme which is scheduled to start on August 4. The cheque was handed over at the Courts Main Street branch.
The Reading is Fun programme began in 2003 and it is facilitated by the UG library with students and lecturers from the School of Humanities and Education faculty and other volunteers as the instructors.
The programme targets children from the Sophia area who are between the ages of 9-12 years old.
According to the Public Relations Officer of Courts, Zeya Nasir-Ramnauth, the Sophia area was chosen “due to the amount of kids there that have a reading problem”. She further stated that these were “underprivileged” children whose parents could not afford to send them to extra reading classes.
This is the first year that Courts has contributed to the programme making it the official sponsor. The company said in a press release that the contribution allowed it to fulfil its corporate responsibility of “adding value everyday” by contributing to education in Guyana. The company noted the importance education plays in the development of young people, and, by extension, the community.
Meanwhile the university’s Deputy Librarian, Gloria Cummings, stated that the donation has made the programme “financially comfortable now” and she hopes that there will be a long association between Courts and the university as it concerns the reading programme. Cummings explained that before Courts became the official sponsor, donations had to be solicited and although what was forthcoming was generous, the onerous task of sending letters to various organisations seeking assistance has now been eliminated.
The Reading is Fun Programme will be held every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 9-12 in the mornings in the CRL section of the university’s library. The duration of the programme is three weeks and students will get a chance to develop their phonics and comprehension skills as well as to read for enjoyment among other activities.
