BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – STUDENTS of the Cayon Primary School entered their new library this morning with wide, open mouths, amazed by how the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank transformed a vacant space into a new, functional library and resource centre.
The new facility has various areas for reading and research, and separate areas for infants and middle and upper primary students. It has resource centres for students and teachers and also provide enough workspace for class or leisure reading, completing home assignments or for preparing learning material for a class. There is a small computer space for advance research while a rug, chairs and colourful paintings complete the silent reading area for the smaller children.
In a brief address to the students, Principal Marva Buchanan said she was very pleased to finally see the plans for the school’s library actualised as a result of “appropriate timing by National bank”. She urged the students to take good care of the new facility and take advantage of it as the resources may assist in expanding their scope of knowledge.
“We had the structure and a few books, and national bank was the one who made the donation for us to achieve what we have here today. In everything we did, we kept the children in mind. We understand that having a library is very important and can help to expand the students’ mind and broaden their horizons,” said Buchanan.
Representing the Ministry of Education, Permanent Secretary Osmond Petty commended the bank for its commitment to education through key partnerships with the primary schools around the nation. He added that the St. Kitts-Nevis National Bank is leading by example, as its library initiative is supported by the recently-proposed White Paper of Education.
“The white paper that we hope would lead the way forward for the next 10 years in education, outlines the policy for promotion of libraries in schools for reading as a major activity in our primary schools. And, we invite other corporate citizens to emulate the national bank; we want other companies to get on board.
“Reading is a critical factor in the success of our students not only at the primary level but also at the secondary level. We need to ensure that opportunities are made available for students to read,” Petty concluded.
In what she described as a “momentous occasion”, SKNA National Bank’s Marketing and Public Relations Officer Sheridan Hendrickson said that with the refurbished library, students would learn to read and improve their reading skills in a “profound, safe and welcoming space”.
She informed that as the Bank continues to pledge its support to the development of education, students and teachers should take advantage of the new library as it offers academic, social and cultural benefits.
“While fostering literacy is an obvious objective of a library, National Bank knows that it also serves to actively impart cultural information. Children can connect to their cultural paths and the community around them and cultivate skills and hopes for the future. It is a concrete and enduring recognition that the students are important and cared-for members of the Cayon community and a reminder that making the effort to help them to thrive will enrich all of our lives and society as a whole,” Hendrickson said.
The Tyrell Williams, Sandy Point, Saddlers and Edgar T Morris Primary Schools have benefited from the Bank’s initiative and this presentation marks the final library refurbishment for the institutions’ financial year.
