Petrina Francis, Education Reporter
MITCHEL BARNES, a second-year student at the University of the West Indies (UWI), is still bubbling with excitement after being selected as the first recipient of the Hector Wynter Memorial Scholarship.
The scholarship is sponsored by Sangster's Book Stores and is tenable for three years for a bachelor of arts degree in library and information systems at UWI.
The Hector Wynter Memorial Scholarship is available to a staff member of the Jamaica Library Service (JLS) and covers the cost of tuition, accommodation and books.
"I feel really blessed and very fortunate to be in the position to receive this scholarship because I really needed the assistance," Ms. Barnes told The Gleaner.
Ms. Barnes, who is from a humble background and hails from the parish of Manchester, said she considers herself a survivor.
She is currently on study leave from the JLS parish library in Manchester, and chose to pursue library and information studies at the UWI because of her love for assisting people with information.
Upon completion of her studies, she plans to go back to the library service to promote reading and provide information to the public.
READING PROMOTION
Ms. Barnes believes young people are important to the development of the society.
To this end, she is involved in community outreach programmes which includes visiting children's homes. According to her, young people are not reading as much as they ought to because they are distracted by other things, and with the advent of technology, they have more things to occupy their time.
She said that a rigorous reading promotion has to be embarked upon, to encourage children to read more.
She noted that the annual reading competition, which is organised by the JLS is a good place to start.
Hector Wynter, in whose memory the scholarship has been established, was a member of the board of Sangster's Book Stores and was chairman of the JLS from 1961 to 1985.
He was also Editor-in-Chief of the Gleaner Company from 1974 to 1985.
