From Harry Potter to Captain Underpants, primary schools get storybooks to promote literacy

Popular storybooks, from Harry Potter to Captain Underpants, are now in libraries established in primary schools countrywide. This is part of a new Ministry of Education initiative to promote literacy by getting more children to read.

The Primary School Libraries initiative was launched Monday at the Grove Primary School on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD).

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand noted that the venture is a costly one, but the ministry believes it is necessary to help more children embrace reading.

“One set of these books costs a lot of money. … We know each parent can’t afford this, but we want to expose each child to these books, so we are putting them in all primary schools,” she said.

Literacy is the ability to read, write, speak, and listen well. In the education sector, it is considered the foundation of learning.

Minister Manickchand acknowledged this, noting that primary school children cannot become proficient in other subject areas (Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies) unless they can read and comprehend well.

So, the library initiative has been launched, albeit with rules to guarantee that the books are used well. There will be librarians in the schools as well.