More Than 16,000 Students To Benefit From Intervention Programmes

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Fayval Williams, says more than 16,000 primary- and secondary-school students are set to benefit from intervention programmes.

Making her contribution to the 2021/2022 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on April 28, she said the programmes are geared at boosting achievements of the students, building their human and social capital to transform their communities, and reducing their vulnerability to becoming involved in gangs and other criminal activities.

The Minister explained that the intervention is aligned with the Government’s Citizen Security Plan, and commitment for improved educational outcomes.

Mrs. Williams told the House that the schools from which the students have been selected are located or serve one of the four communities within the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs), and have to contend with constant and persistent violence.

“There is no shortcut to high student achievement; we cannot inherit student achievement, we can only develop it through sustained effort and investment,” the Minister said, emphasising that where students get more hours at school, they tend to learn more.

She also reported that her Ministry is seeking to complete projects under the Safe School Policy (SSP), which has an objective to engender a culture of security and safety in public schools, as well as employing strategies to prevent disruption of learning by deviant behaviours.

“Central to the SSP is the relationship between the home, community and the school, and the need to engender greater parental involvement in the education of their children,” Mrs. Williams told the House.