Education officials hail letter-writing competition as literacy, creativity boost

Education officials have praised students who participated in the Barbados Postal Service National Letter Writing Competition, describing the initiative as an important tool in strengthening literacy, creativity and critical thinking among young people.

Speaking at a congratulatory ceremony for the winners at the Ministry of Education Transformation’s Media Resource Department Auditorium, Lee Carter, a peripatetic learning support teacher, said competitions such as the national letter-writing contest directly support the ministry’s literacy agenda.

“To be able to write a letter that communicates, that tells a story, that makes someone stop and take notice, a student must be able to read, to think, and to express. This is fundamental.”

The competition highlighted the importance of literacy as the ministry continues to implement targeted programmes including HERTY, Jolly Phonics, Snappy Sounds and other applications, she said.

“Our goal is clear that as much as is possible, every child in Barbados is able to read by the age of seven because a child with a strong foundation can do more than read. They can imagine, they can create, they can compete as these students have shown us today.”

Minister of Education Transformation Chad Blackman congratulated the students for demonstrating “a high level of creativity, of focus, of discipline” through their entries, noting that they had excelled in an era where traditional letter writing is no longer widely practised.

“You’ve been able to capture that. I really want to commend the Barbados Postal Service for your initiative.”

The minister said literacy remained a key priority of the ministry’s education reform programme.

“Everything that you do in life will require you to be able to read. Therefore, the ministry’s comprehensive and very deliberate initiative of a major literacy programme is to ensure that we can now close the gaps.”

Blackman also praised the students for balancing the use of technology with meaningful human connection, a central theme of this year’s competition.

“We now have to sometimes take pause and ask ourselves how do we now reconnect, because why? Human connection is what causes the world to go around.”

Permanent Secretary Kathy-Ann Shepherd echoed those sentiments, describing letter writing as an important skill that must be preserved.

“Letter writing is an art that if we don’t go after it, we might lose it.”

Referring to the contest’s theme, Human Connection Matters in a Digital World, she said the competition reminded students of the importance of maintaining meaningful relationships beyond screens and digital devices.

The first, second and third place winners, Athena Browne from St George Secondary School, Knela Walcott from Harrison College and Alivya Deane from the Alleyne School read their letters for those who were gathered. Youngest entrant, nine year old Xacary Haywood’s letter was read by Language Arts Coordinator at St. Mark’s Primary School, Phyllis Griffin as he was unwell. 

Marketing officer at the Barbados Postal Service Winston Blenman said it was at the invitation of the Universal Postal Union that member countries such as Barbados were invited to host a national letter writing competition for “allowing young people the opportunity to express themselves”.

The competition encouraged innovation and creativity while reviving “the lost art” of letter writing, he added.

The last time Barbados had an international winner was in 2011 during the 40th edition of the competition, when Charlée Gittens of Barbados shared top honours with Wang Sa of China. 

The Barbados winner’s entry will now be submitted to the Universal Postal Union’s International Bureau for the 55th edition of the competition, where an international jury will select global winners. Top entrants will receive international recognition and awards, while the overall winner may attend a fully sponsored award ceremony in Switzerland. 

Held in partnership with the World Health Organisation and UNESCO, this year’s competition focused on the importance of meaningful human connection for mental health, well-being and social inclusion in an increasingly digital world.

(LE)