Education Minister Highlights Initiatives to Increase Literacy

KINGSTON — Education Minister, Hon. Andrew Holness, says several initiatives have been implemented to increase literacy at the Grade Four level, to prevent students from leaving primary school without mastering the subject.

Addressing the recent official launch of the 2011/2012 school year at the St. Richards Primary School, in Kingston, the Minister said that one measure is the tracking of students, which ensures that they are literate before leaving primary school.

He  said  that the tracking results  have shown that 85 per cent of  the students have mastered the Grade Four Literacy Test since 2010, adding that this included repeaters.

"The last result from the grade four literacy test showed that sixty seven per cent of students who sat the grade four literacy test for the first time attained mastery. We can safely say that those students, if  they continue in a programme of education, will develop a level of literacy that will enable them to articulate and matriculate in a high school. They should be able to access the high school curriculum and leave school with a level of certification," he said.

To further improve literacy in schools, the Ministry of Education has also put in place several other programmes, such as: National Students Registry; National Literacy Programme;  Competence Based Transition, and the Alternative Secondary Transitional Education Programme (ASTEP).

The Minister encouraged teachers to become parents, guidance councillors, and mentors to students, despite the difficulties faced on a daily basis.

Mr. Holness  emphasised  that all it takes is for  parents, teachers and communities to keep their shoulders to the "wheel of education,"  with one goal – ‘We can achieve, we must achieve, we will achieve'.

By Jeneva Gordon, JIS PRO