The first anniversary of the 'Read with Me' programme was celebrated on Saturday 16th May at a ceremony held at the Mosta Public Library. Present at the event were Mr David Muscat, CEO National Literacy Agency, Prof. Charles Mifsud, Director Centre for Literacy University of Malta, Mario Mallia, Chief Operations Officer at Bank of Valletta, Oliver Mamo, National Librarian & CEO at Malta Libraries and Mosta mayor Edwin Vassallo.
With focus on early literacy and parental education, the 'Read with Me' programme seeks to implement the National Literacy Strategy that puts emphasis on the 'intergenerational' aspects of education, as promoted by UNESCO. It recognises the crucial role of families and the wider community in raising levels of literacy, by adopting a community approach to instil a love for reading in the very young.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Charles Mifsud explained that "A year since it was launched, the 'Read with Me' programme has reached over 10,000 children aged 0 to 3 and 12,000 parents." He said that, "One hour sessions are held for free in both Maltese and English once a week in fifty centres around Malta and Gozo. This programme is now being extended further through an agreement reached with Malta Libraries and thanks to the on-going support of the Bank of Valletta."
Mario Mallia expressed the bank's satisfaction at the marked progress the 'Read with Me' programme has made since it was launched a year ago and thanked the programme coordinators and animators for their commitment and dedication which were crucial for the success of the programme.
Speaking about the bank's involvement he explained that, "As Malta's leading Bank, BOV has a responsibility towards the community it operates in and it therefore remains strongly committed to its corporate social responsibility mission. We attach great importance to education which is one of the various pillars of the bank's extensive Community Programme and we strive to support educational activities as much as possible.
Investing in our children's education is an investment in the future, since they are tomorrow's citizens" he stated "and the Bank is therefore proud to once again contribute towards this programme." The COO concluded by reaffirming Bank of Valletta's commitment to continue supporting similar initiatives in the future.
Mosta mayor Edwin Vassallo said that the local council was eager to support such an initiative for the greater benefit of the local community. Promoting literacy is on the agenda of the local council.
During the ceremony the National Literacy Agency and Malta Libraries signed a quality charter, as a result of which the trained animators who, so far, have been working on this programme on a voluntary basis, will start receiving remuneration.
Speaking at the signing, Oliver Mamo of Malta Libraries said, "The dedication of the animators has been and will continue to be a key factor in ensuring the success of this national literacy programme. For us today, this is an important milestone that will continue to enrich this programme."
David Muscat of the National Literacy Agency thanked everyone involved for their efforts in making this programme a 'success story', saying that as promised during the launch of 'Read with Me' a year ago, "This programme is effectively showing that the literacy challenge is not one that should be taken on board only by the education sector, but rather by the whole community."