The Caricom Secretariat recently handed over a quantity of books covering 125 subject areas to Grahams Hall Primary in a bid to boost the school’s library and enhance literacy among its pupils.
A press release from the Caricom Secretariat at Turkeyen said the initiative was part of a wider project management training programme involving staff members of the Caricom Secretariat in which they coordinated projects in the areas of literary, wellness, and database management. The project which focused on literacy was entitled ‘Support for Grahams Hall Primary’.
Deputy Principal of Grahams Hall Primary, Geraldine Giddings, in accepting the donation said the school was “very honoured” to be identified by the coordinators of the project.
She said further that while her school was the main beneficiary, the initiative was an investment in Guyana as a whole, as children were the future leaders of the country.
Project Manager Bernard Black, Senior Project Officer, Caricom said the total number of books was 186, covering 125 subject areas.
Meanwhile, as part of the sustainability of the initiative, he said, two members of the Parent-Teachers Association were trained in librarianship by personnel of the National Library to oversee the management of the library with its boost in capacity.
Black said the project was specifically designed to address waning literacy among primary level students, an issue which was identified by the Ministry of Education here.
In addition, he said, the group wanted the Caribbean Community Secretariat to go beyond a mere presence in the Turkeyen community to a more tangible contribution to its development.
Chairman of the school’s Parent-Teachers Association Selwyn Anthony noted the importance of the project in enhancing literacy. He expressed appreciation on behalf of the parents to the Caricom Secretariat and the National Library, for making the library functional with what he described as “valuable gifts.”
