JLS Targeting 6,000 Entrants for 2026 National Reading Competition

State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Hon. Rhoda Moy Crawford, is calling on Jamaicans, aged six to 99 to enter the 2026 staging of the Jamaca Library Service (JLS) National Reading Competition.

The JLS is looking to increase the number of participants to 6,000 this year.

Entries for the competition are now being accepted at all JLS libraries across the island and close on May 9.

“We want persons right across Jamaica to get on board, get interested, because this competition is not only showcasing the importance of reading, critical thinking, comprehension, but it gives an opportunity for national development [and] exposure,” Ms. Crawford said.

She was addressing the launch of the competition on Tuesday (March 31) at the Joyce Robinson Hall at the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Library.

Ms. Crawford noted that, over its lifetime, the competition has impacted more than 100,000 Jamaicans.

She said that the continued growth in the number of participants, from 3,133 in 2024 to 5,623 in 2025, representing a 78 per cent increase “reflects a renewed national enthusiasm for reading, strengthened by meaningful collaboration among schools, libraries, families, and communities. Above all, it affirms a simple reality – when we invest in reading, we invest in national development”.

She noted that reading drives literacy, which underpins educational success, workforce readiness, innovation and national development.

“As a Ministry, we remain resolute that literacy is the foundation of national progress. It is not optional. While we have made meaningful strides, the reality remains that only approximately 60 to 70 per cent of our citizens are reading at the required proficiency level. This serves as a fuel for our call to action for urgency, focus and a shared national response. This is so, as literacy is not simply the ability to read. It is the capacity to understand, interpret and apply knowledge in ways that transforms lives,” she pointed out.

For her part, Director General, JLS, Maureen Thompson, said that in an era where technology robs persons of spending adequate time reading physical books, the purpose of the JLS remains resolute.

“Our libraries are more than just buildings. They are safe spaces in our communities. They are also very important learning hubs; they are places our students gather to do their assignments and research; they are also spaces where readers discover new worlds and where communities are engaged through collaborations and partnerships,” she noted.

She said that the competition theme ‘Together We Read, Together We Rise’, focuses on resilience in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

She is encouraging persons to enter the reading competition.

“It expands your imagination. It takes you to places, and of course, the critical thinking skills that are utilised in this competition along with the literacy analysis, the exposure to Caribbean literature [and] the exposure to local authors is such an enriching experience that we continue to build on over the years,” Ms. Thompson said.

Since the establishment of the competition in 1988, the National Reading Competition has stood as the flagship outreach programme of the JLS, an agency of the Education Ministry.

For nearly four decades, this programme has advanced a clear and enduring vision, promoting strong reading habits across all age groups, strengthening literacy, comprehension, critical thinking skills and cultivating an appreciation for literature that includes Caribbean voices in poetry.

The JLS currently has 85 operating public libraries located islandwide serving approximately 898 schools.