$21 Million Allocated to Increase Parental Involvement in Schools

The Parent-School Partnerships for Improved Literacy Outcomes Project has received an allocation of $21.37 million in the 2013/14 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives.

The project, being implemented by the Ministry of Education through funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), seeks to increase parental involvement in improving reading skills among Grade 1 students at 60 selected primary and all age schools.

It is anticipated that for this fiscal year under the project, training materials will be developed; teachers and principals will be trained; school libraries will be established or improved; parent places in 60 schools will be established; and parent engagement workshops will be hosted.

Physical achievements originally envisaged include: providing parents with the necessary training and support for positive parent/child home literacy activities, such as increasing the frequency for parent-child home discussions around reading activities; and contributing to the development of quality support systems for parents.

It was also originally anticipated that the Parent Teachers Associations (PTAs) would be established and strengthened in participating schools, in order to facilitate home literacy activities. The governance structures in project schools would have embraced the active participation of parents and community stakeholders.

The project which began in December, 2012, is slated to end in January, 2014.

By Alecia Smith-Edwards, JIS Reporter