National Library’s annual reading competition kicks off

The Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) and telecommunications company Digicel are onboard for the National Library’s annual reading competition which aims to promote reading as a pastime.

The competition, which is being held this year under the theme ‘Empowering the Nation Through Literacy’, started on June 18 and ends on August 18 following which five winners will receive trophies, cash, books and other prizes.

According to Margaret Eastman, who is coordinating the event, the competition caters for five categories of readers: 9 to 11 years old; 12 to 14; 15 to 17; 18 to 25 and 26 years and above. Participants should be members of the National Library.

The competition involves participants being given books to read after which they would be expected to submit written reports; they will also be quizzed on the books; marks will be scored for both the written and oral tests.

Come July 6, the preliminary round will be held and participants who gain 80% and over will continue on to the semi-final round which will be held on July 27. The final is billed for August 18. The coordinator told this newspaper that the main objective of the event is to encourage reading as a stimulating pastime among children and adults. She said the event is also intended to nourish a lifelong love for reading among the participants.