Minister Gumbs Emphasizes Role of Families and Community in Promoting Literacy

GREAT BAY--As Literacy Month activities continue, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS), Melissa Gumbs, has stressed the vital role that families and the wider community play in fostering a culture of reading. Her remarks followed her participation on Saturday in the Philipsburg Jubilee Library’s event From Peekaboo to Possibilities: Early Childhood Literacy.

Minister Gumbs used the opportunity to urge parents, siblings, and caregivers to actively nurture a love for reading at home. “I encourage parents to read to their children, but also older siblings to read to their younger brothers and sisters,” she said. “You are that first gateway to reading that a child has. My own mother was that gateway for me, and it shaped my love for books.”

She also recalled a video she recently saw where the creator explained that the issues the world is having with illiteracy among teenagers who cannot read, or who severely lack reading comprehension skills. As the commentator put it, learning in school is for the consolidation of prior knowledge. Which essentially means that the foundation must start earlier, in the home, and be strengthened over time.

Minister Gumbs noted that other islands in the region are grappling with similar declines in literacy and experimenting with different solutions. For St. Maarten, she emphasized the need for an organic approach. “You cannot force a child to read. It must be encouraged naturally. My hope is that having a Minister who also loves to read, and who will openly share what she is reading, sets a positive example. Parents are the first teachers, and that is something I only came to fully appreciate as I grew older.”

While acknowledging gaps in the education system, Minister Gumbs underlined that literacy development requires collective action. “Combating illiteracy is a community effort. We must work together, schools, families, and the wider society, to make reading a part of everyday life.”

As part of Literacy Month, Minister Gumbs has been engaging with students across schools and reading alongside them. She also shared her intention to revive popular community reading activities from her childhood. “I remember the library once hosted sleepover-style reading nights where children brought sleeping bags, books, and, of course, snacks and tea. I hope to reintroduce something similar, because reading should be fun, social, and something that children look forward to.”

Minister Gumbs closed by reaffirming her commitment to literacy beyond September. “For me, every month is Literacy Month. The effort to improve reading and comprehension must be continuous if we are to give our children the strongest possible start in life.”

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