MP Helping to Promote Reading

Contact: Dana Augustin

Wednesday, May 23, 2001 – The Member of Parliament for Castries North West/Babonneau Honourable Michael Gaspard is working with the Balata School to promote reading.  Gaspard visited the school this week to speak to the students about the importance of reading as part of an initiative by the Ministry of Education to promote reading in schools during May, which is observed as the month of reading. 

He lamented that students are not doing enough reading, thinks that the initiative by the ministry needs to be encouraged.   The MP read stories in English and Kweyol to the students, in a deliberate attempt to the importance of preserving the Kweyol language.

“I thought I should let the students know that the indigenous Kweyol language can also be read as well and with equal ease as the English language,” said Gaspard.

Meanwhile Principal of the Balata Government School, Catherine Alcide, noted that through the assistance of the Ministry of Education and the Sandals Halcyon Hotel, a library and resource centre are currently being constructed at the school.  These two important facilities, she says, will soon be equipped with a wide range of reading materials as well as eight computers.

“There is a library in Babonneau and most of the children have to commute to go to that library,” she said.  “The parents are very poor in the area.  Some of them don’t work.  They must know the value of education and reading for them to want to take their children out there each time to visit the library or to sit with them.   So this is one of the reasons that we have really made a big sacrifice – the parents, the teachers and the children - to raise funds to build a library and a resource centre.”   

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