Basic Schools Receive Books from Carlong Publishers

Carlong Publishers (Caribbean) Limited has donated 2,500 textbooks and general readers to 50 basic schools across the island to promote literacy at the early-childhood level.

Twenty-five of the schools from Regions one, two and six received books today (May 29) at a ceremony held at the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Library on Tom Redcam Drive in Kingston.

On Thursday (May 31), the other 25 schools from Regions three, four and five will receive their books at a presentation ceremony to be held at the Grandiosa Hotel in Montego Bay.

The gesture is in keeping with the early-childhood literacy campaign to ‘Make Every Child a Reader’.

Senior Advisor to the State Minister for Education, Hon. Floyd Green, Mrs. Brittany Singh-Williams, who brought greetings, thanked the management team of the publishing house for their generosity and commitment to improving the early-childhood sector.

Pointing out that studies show that the more books children read and interact with at this stage, the faster their vocabulary is expanded, Mrs. Singh-Williams said this accelerates preschool child development and improves the soft skills in the long run.

“You have been partners in education over many years with the Ministry, and we appreciate your efforts and support to encourage healthy reading habits among our very young. We note, in particular, that you are working with the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) this year to identify schools that may need additional textbooks and storybooks for our children,” she noted.

Chairman of Carlong Publishers (Caribbean) Limited, Shirley Carby, told JIS News that the books provide critical support to teachers in their delivery of the curriculum and are valuable learning aids for students on their path to attaining literacy.

“As educational publishers, we work closely with the Ministry of Education. We try to give back in as many ways as we can,” she said.

Carlong Publishers has donated books biennially to basic schools in need for the past 16 years to ensure the children of these institutions are equipped with adequate resources to learn and also to assist in the certification of their schools, in compliance with the ECC’s Twelve Operating Standards for Early Childhood Institutions.