UNICEF congratulates Guyana on launch of Atlantic Reader Series

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) through its Deputy Representative to Guyana and Suriname, Mr. Irfan Akhtar congratulated the Ministry of Education under the leadership of the Honourable Minister of Education Priya Manickchand for launching the completed Atlantic Reader series.

Mr. Akhtar who attended the launch virtually on the Zoom platform said that he believes the reader series is an important tool to support the Guyanese children in the journey to achieve excellence in literacy and performance. He said that he was happy to learn that the books will be available in digital form on the Ministry’s website so that anyone can access them anywhere.

He said, “this is a true example of digitalization in the education system. We are talking always about digitalization, about modernization, but today we witness that there is a concrete example by the Ministry of Education under the leadership of the Honourable Minister of Education. This is indeed a very good initiative, especially during this COVID pandemic time, ensuring that every child learns and is literate and prepared for work in life.”

Mr. Akhtar noted that due to the pandemic, there has been learning loss. He commended the Ministry for its efforts to ensure every child can access learning materials online and also for reopening schools to have pupils back into the physical school environment.

The UNICEF Representative said that the launch of the books is also important for the realization of the Sustainable Development Goal, GOAL Four, to ensure inclusive, equitable and quality education and to promote lifelong learning and opportunities for all.

He said that now Guyana can help other countries to learn from its experiences and its resources in the form of the reader series. Mr. Akhtar said that UNICEF remains committed to supporting the Ministry of Education under the leadership of the Honourable Minister of Education. “I believe together we can ensure that every child learns wherever they are through using different channels, different materials,” Mr. Akhtar remarked.

(Ministry of Education's Public Relations Department)