Today I went to visit Wiony Primary School, which the FM Foundation coordinated book donations to as well in 2010. We were so happy to see again that since the book donations, the ranking of the school increased. In 2010 they were ranked 18th, and now they are ranked 11th out of over 70 schools.
The principal and teachers gave me the same feedback that I had heard at Shella Primary: the simple donation of 1000 books exposes the students to enough reading that their comprehension, vocabulary, expression and creativity improves so substantially that the academic performance of the entire school is enhanced. BOOKS.MAKE.A.DIFFERENCE.
The day of my visit coincided with the last day of school, where the students and parents had gathered for the awards ceremony. I learned that over the past two years, the school has acquired a new principal and administration, and a fresh focus to improve the academic standing of the school even more. An very positive sign for us that this school was a worthy investment.
I got a chance to speak to the students as well about the books. When asked what other book titles they would like to see if more books were donated, their answers were ones I have come to predict: more novels – particularly adventure, sic-fi, and mysteries, more biographies, more business, and more history.
