–  Initiative aimed to improve students’ performance
The Education Ministry’s nationwide literacy intervention, targeting primary and secondary school students, began yesterday at schools throughout Guyana. Students are engaging in literacy and numeracy lessons.
This initiative is one of the ministry’s efforts to facilitate the improvement of students’ literacy and numeracy performance, and accommodates those students whose performance is below 50 percent.
Regional Literacy Coordinator, Collette Horatio, while making checks at several schools, pointed out that, despite the heavy rainfall, the centres visited have begun implementing the literacy programme’s curriculum and the student turn-out was acceptable.
She added that additional check-ups would be conducted at other schools to ensure that the teachers have the necessary materials and the programme is on stream.
All of the schools were provided with numeracy and literacy materials, including a ‘Jolly Phonics’ kit.
This kit has work books for each letter in the alphabet and allows the teachers to effectively teach phonics.
Importantly, it is expected that at the end of the programme, the participating students’ performance would improve and they would be able to cope with the next school year curriculum.
The programme is being executed by 800 teachers who have been trained to deliver the learning materials in a fun-filled manner.
Fifteen students are placed with one teacher to ensure that each student receives a high level of individual attention.
Additionally, Grades 7 and 8 students are also involved in the remediation programme which focuses on the delivery of Maths and English.
Assistant Chief Education Officer Secondary, Melcita Bovell, indicated that literacy and numeracy build students’ performance and assist in their achieving better grades in Maths and English at the CXC examinations.
Bovell also indicated that research has shown that those students who have failed are likely to fail again. She pointed out that this observation indicates that remediation is needed.
It is expected that the remediation classes would give students another chance to improve their performance levels and they would not have to repeat their classes.
Prior to the beginning of the programme, letters were sent to the selected students’ parents seeking their child’s participation.
Bovell pointed out that the Education Ministry provided the teachers with detailed subject work-books. These ensure that the subjects are effectively delivered and the students are able to grasp the concepts. The students are given home-work, which is to be marked in a timely manner.
She emphasised that building skills and knowledge in Maths and English would facilitate the students’ improvement in the other subject areas.
It was reported that several schools in the various regions have noted impressive turn-outs by the students, which indicate that there is a level of seriousness towards improved performance by the students.
Recently, Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh, acknowledged that remediation is needed at both school levels and encouraged students to participate in the programme. (GINA)