Parents urged to read daily as World Book Day held with islandwide push

A direct appeal to parents to spend time reading with their children took centre stage on Thursday as World Book Day activities unfolded across Barbados, with officials warning that schools cannot build strong readers alone.

World Book Day display at Sky Mall. (LE)

“Parents, parents, we need you. We need your support. The teachers can’t do it alone,” Shamel Edwards, a peripatetic teacher at the Ministry of Education Transformation, stressed during the activities at Sky Mall. “We provide the environment, we provide the instruction, but you also must help build that interest at home… read to your children, read with your children. Let your children read to you.”

Shamel Edwards, a peripatetic teacher at the Ministry of Education Transformation. (LE)

The message came as the education ministry rolled out a mix of reading sessions in schools and public displays at Sky Mall and Sheraton Centre, showcasing literacy programmes and student work.

At Sky Mall, a lively display highlighted the tools now being used in classrooms, from phonics-based approaches to comprehension strategies. “We want to engage our students in terms of literacy and reading, and World Book Day gives us that opportunity to show them the importance of reading and books,” Edwards said. “It’s not a thing of the past… books are still relevant.”

Students across nursery and primary levels are being exposed to read-alouds, buddy reading and book displays designed to “get back to what we call the basics,” while also making reading enjoyable. “We’re not just reading to do work. We’re reading for pleasure,” she added, pointing to book clubs and classroom reading corners as key tools to spark interest.

The day’s activities were part of a wider national effort to strengthen literacy from as early as age three, which began in September 2024, said Education Officer and Literacy Lead Janelle Little. “We want to ensure that our children have structured instruction in literacy as soon as they come into school… right up until they leave at 11,” she said.

Ministry teams have already visited about 35 schools, reading to students and monitoring progress: “Initial assessments revealed that the students have been responding positively… we have seen some incremental growth,” she said, adding that new screening tools will also help identify challenges like dyslexia early.

At St Lawrence Primary, Little read In the Land of the Shak Shak Tree by Jade Small to students in their classes. It was selected by the ministry’s staff and was among a variety of local and Caribbean books.

The impact of the new programmes was already visible at St Lawrence Primary School, said the principal, Lorraine Gittens. “We have seen a significant increase in the reading capacity and capabilities of our students,” she said, crediting initiatives such as Jolly Phonics.

Principal of St Lawrence Primary School, Lorraine Gittens. (SB)

She echoed the day’s central theme of partnership. “It is a balance… what we do here must be supplemented at home as well,” she said. “We are trying to link with the parents to ensure that parents do reinforce what we do here…. We want everyone to make sure that everyone is on board and that our students can indeed get the best out of what we have to offer them.”

(LE)