EU-Jamaica 5k and 10k Run to Support Literacy Programme

Three primary-level institutions in Kingston are to benefit from the proceeds of the 2024 European Union (EU)-Jamaica 5K and 10K Run.

They are Edward Seaga, St. Andrew and Holy Family primary schools.

Scheduled for March 10, downtown Kingston, the 5K and 10K Run will raise funds for the staging of literacy summer camps for teachers and students at the institutions.

The sessions will be conducted by non-profit organisation Creative Language-Based Learning (CLBL), which is executing literacy and numeracy training for teachers throughout the island.

Speaking with JIS News at the launch of the Run at the office of the EU Delegation in Kingston on Wednesday (January 31) Principal of Edward Seaga Primary, Shernet Clarke-Tomlinson, said the school is pleased to be one of the beneficiaries of the fundraising event.

She says the literacy summer camps will buttress the Jolly Phonics reading programme that the institution utilises.

One of the most effective methods to teach children to read and write English, Jolly Phonics engages children in a fun and interactive way.

Using games, quizzes, and art and craft, children are taught letter sounds and how to blend those sounds together to achieve full pronunciation of whole words.

“The plan is to train our teachers to administer the [CLBL] programme, and this will be done with some students in the summer – students that we identify that are way below their grade level. In September what we plan to do is to expand the programme throughout the school, so it will work along with the programme [Jolly Phonics] we are currently using in house,” she notes.

“It is such a joy to have something like this because you find that our children will be the future generation. We know that for some children the support is not there, so we are trying our best to instil as much as possible, in the best way we can,” Mrs. Clarke-Tomlinson expresses.

For Principal of St. Andrew Primary, Colleen Gordon, the summer-school intervention will go a far way in assisting students who are lagging to be more independent.

“I am elated. I’m very excited about this programme. I know we will be able to reach more students than we currently can and I’m hoping for the best for all concerned in the initiative,” she tells JIS News.

Holy Family Primary Principal, Phillipa Williams McGregor, notes that like every school, she wants her students to learn how to read, comprehend and be able to apply knowledge.

“It makes no sense that they leave school and they do not know how to read and write. At Holy Family, we have quite a few students who cannot read and write at their grade level, so this programme will really impact them and allow them to move from where they are to where they should be,” she says.

Mrs. Williams McGregor notes that the initiative can aid in improving students’ performance in the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) assessment and believes that further support from the Ministry of Education and Youth in engaging literacy specialists and teachers will also assist in increasing the literacy rate.

The 2024 EU-Jamaica 5K and 10K Run, which aims to attract 3,000 participants, is being held under the theme ‘All Together Against Crime and Violence’.

It is in keeping with the holistic approach to crime reduction under the Government’s Citizen Security Plan (CSP).

The intent is to use education as a tool to address crime and violence and promote a culture of order and lawfulness.

Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams, endorses the literacy summer camp as a further testament of the strong partnership between the EU and Jamaica.

“We know that these initiatives work,” she says, noting that the Ministry is looking to “scale up” literacy interventions in schools across the island.
EU Ambassador to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen, notes the EU’s commitment to supporting the Government of Jamaica in tackling crime and violence.

“We have a very important programme, which consists of supporting the Government, civil society organisations [CSO] and many actors in this lovely island that are actually working very hard to put an end to crime and violence,” Ambassador Van Steen said.