Educators Anticipate Positive Outcomes From Read Across Jamaica Day

Ministry of Education, Youth and Information Region five Director, Dr. Nadine Leachman, says that educators in the parishes of Manchester and St. Elizabeth are anticipating positive outcomes from Read Across Jamaica Day activities on Tuesday (May 4).
She told JIS News that the virtual staging of the event, which saw members of society reading to and engaging with students, is expected to ignite a passion for books, which will translate to an increase in literacy and educational achievement.
The day’s activities began with an address to the students, teachers and parents, after which the students went into break-out sessions, where personnel from the Ministry and the wider society read to them from various books.
Dr. Leachman said that Jamaican nationals residing overseas also participated in the sessions, noting that there were some “mystery readers,” which added a special flavour to the day’s activities.
“We used the opportunity to be as innovative and creative as possible to get them to love books and reading,” she told JIS News.
She noted that the readers spent time answering questions from the students and the Ministry is grateful for their participation.
Dr. Leachman told JIS News that while the literacy rate has been encouraging in the region “it is just a matter of keeping the momentum going. The more children read is the more they will learn and we want them (parents) to recognise that learning by reading is good for our children.”
Principal of the Manchester-based Woodlawn School of Special Education, Racquel Rhoden South, said the stories read to her students were interesting, noting that the readers were “very engaging.”
“It was a good initiative that Region Five did to ensure that although we are not in the physical space, our children are still benefitting from literacy activities online,” she noted.
Principal of the St. Elizabeth-based Middle Quarters Primary School, Annette Kerr Harris, told JIS News that the students enjoyed the day’s activities and are looking forward to next year’s event.
She said that through programmes put in place by that the Ministry, including the reading day activity, the school is expected to move from a 92 per cent literacy rate to 95 per cent.
The main partners in the staging event were the Jamaica Library Service (JLS) and Literacy is a Family Experience (LIFE).