GlobalCapital Life Insurance is supporting the National Book Council’s project to help with reversing the trend that reading children bedtime stories is on the decline in Malta. This is the case according to various studies in Malta, and reflected Europe-wide. What this means is that only a small number of parents with children under the age of seven read to them at all, while less than one in five of those share a story every night.
Academics at the Institute of Education found children who read for pleasure in their spare time perform significantly better at school than other pupils. This study found that regular access to books between the age of 10 and 16 boosts children’s vocabulary and spelling skills and drives up standards in mathematics. They also found that children who receive bedtime stories from their parents as infants perform better than those who go without.
On behalf of the National Book Council Joe Debattista said, "Sharing a bedtime story with a child stimulates them, improving their emotional and social development, the National Book Council has been highlighting the importance of bedtime reading and this project in conjunction with GlobalCapital Life Insurance takes a series of concrete steps. Sharing books with your children, reading aloud to them and showing them how much you enjoy books will benefit your children and give them and you great pleasure. I have very clear memories of being read to as a child and of reading to my own children, it was always a pleasure to share that calm, warm time. Bedtime is the best time for exposing children to books at a young age."
The concrete steps that the National Book Council refer to is a new module in the Parent Craft Services education programme, whereby the manual prepared by popular children's author Trevor Zahra, will be used to train the trainers and then as part of an outreach programme to new parents. Over 250 midwives will be inducted on the Bedtime Reading pack and they in turn will introduce it to the approximately 8000 parents each year who attend parenting classes at Mater Dei. This "catch them while they're young" approach is designed to create a reading environment in Maltese homes and a love for storytelling.
Trevor Zahra, one of the most prominent Maltese authors, said listening to stories was a human instinct, adding his nanna Mananni was responsible for his love of storytelling. Although she did not know how to read and write, she had a brilliant memory and the luxury of time. “My nanna had the perfect environment for storytelling: In the 1950s there was no mobile ringing to interrupt her stories or the television blaring out. Storytelling simply needs the right atmosphere,” he said.
Minister for Education and Employment, Evarist Bartolo, said that almost half the Maltese population, some 44 per cent, had not read a book in the last year. He linked this to the commendable and ambitious National Literacy Strategy, which he launched within weeks of taking office. He wanted to inject an element of pleasure back into reading. Dr. Bartolo said, “Our skills, intelligence, the way we behave as citizens and the ability to think critically depend on reading.”
GlobalCapital CEO Bashar Khatib said, "We are looking forward to supporting this important project going forward. The Education Minister is clearly deeply committed to the need to overcome the nation’s low achievements in literacy. Recent studies showed that 36 per cent of 15 –year-olds in Malta were low achievers in terms of reading compared with an EU average of almost 20 per cent, and the mean reading score of 10-year-olds was significantly lower than the international average. I am sure that the investment in this 'Bedtime Reading' manual by Trevor Zahra and the supporting team of experts in children's literature will contribute to the community, making reading more accessible and help to preserve and promote Maltese culture. It is a pleasure for us to be involved in such a project and it fits perfectly with our role in supporting the Maltese family. So please read your children a story tonight!"
For further information visit GlobalCapital plc’s office in Testaferrata Street, Ta’ Xbiex or GlobalCapital’s website www.globalcapital.com.mt