English teacher at the Elmore Stoutt High School, Mr Hubert Wong has issued a call for the re-introduction of reading as a separate subject in the education system of the Virgin Islands. Photo: VINO

A dramatic piece titled 'Liberate Me Now' was one of the items on the programme at yesterday's (September 9, 2013) ESHS opening ceremony. The play spoke about the potential that is within every child at every level to amount to something give the fact that they get the required attention from their teachers. Photo: VINO

New and returning students and teachers of the Elmore Stoutt High School braved the heat brought to bear as a consequence of a broken air-conditioning unit in the Multi Purpose Complex on Monday September 9, 2013. Photo: VINO

The call was supported by the Principal (Ag.) of the ESHS, Mr Wade W. Tobin, who said reading is being done throughout the school but needs some more emphasis to be placed on the subject. “I think it is a good thing. It’s already being done throughout the school but it just needs some more emphasis to be placed on that level and for the students in general,” said Mr Tobin.

At the time, Mr Wong was addressing hundreds of students and teachers of the ESHS as the school subscribed to World Literacy Day observed yesterday, September 9, 2013. The occasion coincided with the welcome and opening ceremony of the school’s academic year at the Multi-Purpose Complex in Road Town, Tortola.

“It is critical and appropriate to consider the achievement of child literacy as a strategy to accelerate national development,” said Mr Wong.

Directing his remarks to personnel at both the administrative and academic levels, Mr Wong challenged the powers that be to place more attention and resources on the development of the child so as to enable them to acquire Reading, Writing and analytical skills at an early age.

“And it is in this context that I wish or respectful make a personal appeal to the powers that be that one approach that will hasten the achievement of this goal would be the re-introduction of reading as a separate subject in the curriculum throughout the education system, from nursery to secondary,” appealed Mr Wong.

Stressing on the likely achievable outcome of this, Mr Wong said improved reading skills among children will also help to eliminate remedial interventions that cost a lot of money and utilise time, material and human resources, which can barely be afforded.

“Yes the teaching and practice of the simple but powerful skill of reading is the key to literacy, which in turn is the gateway to becoming educated... We must all increase our literacy levels so we can all improve the quality of our lives… the process of improving literacy never ends,” Mr Wong stressed.

Noting that there were lots more he could have added to his brief address on the importance of literacy in the education system, Mr Wong limited his presentation after taking into consideration the uncomfortable atmosphere that the session was being held in.

Students exhibited a high level of discipline as they endured hours of intense heat. Some converted their books into fans as the air-conditioning unit in the Multi Purpose Complex was broken and several attempts to get it up and going failed during the period of the more than two-hour long ceremony. Students and teachers were, nevertheless, kept hydrated as hundreds of bottles of water were distributed and a few heavy duty fans brought in.

However, there were a few students who were still uncomfortable and un-cooperative and some even left the building.

One parent said that when she learnt from her child via a text message of the environment she rushed to the venue to retrieve her child but had her “passion calmed” when she got there. “I see they give them water so I let my child stay on. They have to learn that this life is not a bed of roses,” the mother stated.

She said, however, that she was very concerned because her child was asthmatic and the clustrophobic environment could have triggered an attack.