The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

Today (September 8), the world observes International Literacy Day under the theme “Promoting literacy in the digital era.” It is a timely reminder that while technology can enrich learning, it can also create new barriers. While it puts entire libraries in our hands, connects loved ones throughout the Family Islands, and opens doors to the world, it also threatens to replace deep reading and imagination with distraction, as brightly coloured apps and endless scrolling compete with traditional books for our children’s attention.

Yet even as we embrace the benefits of technology, we must remember that not every child has access to a device or reliable internet. For too many families, the digital era is not a bridge but a barrier. While some children enjoy the latest tablets and constant connectivity, others are left with outdated materials, or nothing at all. This digital divide threatens to widen inequality even more than income gaps. However, literacy itself is the greatest barrier because a child who cannot read with confidence will be locked out of opportunity, device or no device.

That is why literacy, both traditional and digital, is essential. Digital literacy helps us evaluate information, guard against misinformation, and use technology responsibly. Traditional literacy (reading, writing, and comprehension) is at the foundation of it all. The two must work together if we want a Bahamas that can compete and thrive.

This cause is personal to me. I am the daughter of a teacher, and I grew up knowing that reading is not just a pastime but a pathway to dignity and opportunity. Some of my happiest moments are spent in classrooms reading to children or recording stories for virtual story time. As I have done for many years, I will once again visit multiple school campuses today because for me this is not symbolic, it is a standing commitment.

I encourage Bahamians everywhere to read: books and newspapers, road signs, Scripture, poetry, labels in the grocery store, even thoughtful posts online. Parents, please push your children to read and manage their screen time. Protect their eyes, brains, and social skills. If a child does not answer right away when called or reacts with irritation, that may be a sign of overexposure to devices. Step in with love and structure.

We must also remember that there are adults among us who are illiterate or moderately literate. You may notice it when someone hesitates to order food, avoids filling out a form, or quietly asks for help in the grocery store. This is not a shame to be mocked but a need to be met with compassion.

There are countless stories of men and women who have overcome personal struggles, family hardships, and poverty itself through literacy and learning. Books have launched careers, broken cycles of disadvantage, and changed lives. As someone who has devoted my professional life to the field of communication, I know that words shape worlds. Literacy is the foundation of every exchange of ideas and every national conversation.

That is why the Government must aggressively invest in schools, libraries, and teacher training. Parents must nurture reading habits at home. Churches and civic groups must open their doors to reading circles, book exchanges and adult literacy programmes. Employers must encourage training for workers. We all have a role to play so get involved by reading with a child, donating a book, or supporting someone who struggles.

I love this country, and I love its children most of all. Let us give them, and ourselves, the one gift that no one can ever take away: the power to read the world and the courage to write our own story because reading and writing cannot be separated.

When we write, we create something worth reading. When we read, we sharpen our ability to write and to tell our story. We need to produce literature that looks like us, sound like us, and honours who we are. We need children’s books with illustrations that reflect their faces and their worlds. We need histories written from our perspective, not borrowed from others. That is the true meaning of literacy, not only consuming words, but producing them; not only learning from the pages of others, but filling pages of our own, whether on paper or on screen.

Literacy is not just a skill, it is identity, freedom, and the key to unlocking doors in a Bahamas for all Bahamians.

Senator Maxine Seymour
Shadow Minister for Social Services, Information, and Broadcasting
Nassau, Bahamas

September 8, 2025