The education ministry is training 120 literacy educators under a $115M ‘Fast Track Initiative Literacy Programme,’ the Government Information Agency (GINA) has said.
At the opening session hosted at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development Minister of Education Shaik Baksh said the course is a supplement to other initiatives to boost literacy. “The inspectorate division has been reorganized and its scope has been broadened… The efforts of teachers have to be supervised, managed and supported,” he said. Baksh said too that teacher preparation was very important and that the number of teachers undergoing training including in the new literacy methodology, has to be doubled within the next five years. He said this was one of the key areas catered for in the strategic plan which is in an advanced stage and is expected to be finalized by July.
According to GINA, the plan was crafted after poor results from the National Grade Six Assessment. A task force established to examine the situation found illiteracy to be a major problem. This year the syllabus will start with Grade Six students and aims at boosting their performance when they move on to the secondary level. Baksh said the 18,000 – 20,000 students will be streamed according to performance and work will be done with the weaker students over a two-month period, utilising the literacy method. The assistant chief education officer in the primary division has been appointed the special co-ordinator for the programme.
Additionally, during August, these students will be further streamed and others will undergo a half-day reading programme. This programme is in its planning stages. Baksh said too the “cascade literacy model,” a formal system of literacy will be implemented in schools this year.
Meanwhile, GINA said the Interactive Radio Instruction programme has shown good results. A team from Jamaica will be visiting some time this month to assess the series.
