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Contact:
Rose Marie Harris
Monday, May 05, 2003 - Reading has been described as the key that will
open doors of opportunity not only while at school but for the rest of life.
This was one of the messages delivered by Governor General, Her Excellency Dame
Pearlette Louisy as Saint Lucia observes Reading Month in May.
The month is being observed under the theme: Education Through Reading. Dame
Pearlette encouraged young people people to read more as it will unlock the door
of opportunity resulting in a better quality of life.
“But when we speak of being able to read, we do not mean being able only to
understand the meaning behind the words. Reading therefore is very much about
understanding the message that the writer wants to bring across, about
understanding the meaning behind words. You may a top whiz in mathematics or
science or any of your other school subjects, but if you are unable to read the
mathematics paper or the science paper and by that I mean if you are not able to
understand what is written on the examination paper, for example all your
knowledge will count for nothing. I am sure you have heard of many students
because they could not understand the written word, they could not read.”
Dame Pearlette explained that while some persons depend on the television to
give them all the information they need, the images that one sees on the screen
and voices that that one hears come and go. “The written word is a more
permanent record and we can go back to it over and over. And this is the
advantage that reading and the written word has over the other means of
communication,” the Governor General said.
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