Reading Competition Reaches Semi-Finals

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Education

Tuesday, 04 October 2011 02:29

By caribarena news

Antigua St John's - The first half of the quarter finals in the Courts/OECS Reading Competition ended on Monday with four schools advancing to the semi-finals.

Saint Peter’s Primary’s Ashanti Martin, Ari-Pasha Pigott of TOR Memorial, Ikitah Fergus of Pares Primary, and Sherona Mc Almont of St John’s Catholic Primary School were the winners among a field of 10 schools in zones one and two.

Now in its third year, the competition brings together primary school students in Antigua & Barbuda within the 8-9 age groups to vie for the national championship.

The lone winner then goes on to the regional competition.

Acting Chief Librarian Ryliss Mannix noted, “Reading is an important tool, used to build confidence in young readers. As they become engaged with books, they begin to have positive attitudes towards these books, and are even able to become so involved with the characters that the imaginary world appears even more real than the real one."

She encouraged principals, teachers, and parents to provide favourable conditions for young children to become enthusiastic readers. "Reading is a good habit," she said, "which is an important pre-requisite for developing real readers."

Courts Marketing and Communication Manager Antigua/OECS Anita James added that, “more and more we are seeing the need to continue investing heavily in this competition, doing our part to promote literacy among our youth. The illiteracy rate is rising among the young people. This competition seeks to raise the interest and importance of reading among our young people as well as making reading fun."

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The competition ranges from story reading in the first round, to newspapers in the semi-finals. In the finals, readings will be done from both.

The second quarter-finals will be held on Tuesday, when schools in zones three and four will compete. The semi-final is down for Wednesday, while the finals will be held on Friday.

The winner will go on to represent Antigua & Barbuda at the regional level on October 20 in St Kitts.

Sunnyside Primary School has won the national reading competition for the last two years.

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