IT is easy to understand the rationale of any undertaking of the APNU+AFC administration; all policy initiatives are determined, conceived, and implemented with the ultimate goal of facilitating a better life for all Guyanese.

Government’s emphasis and approach to improved education are easily understandable in that context. President David Granger’s evidence-based approach to education in particular, has been proven internationally and vindicated locally. Guyanese may be reassured that the future of Guyana will be in the hands of educated, informed, competent citizens who are presently being groomed to take the baton of leadership.

Researchers and other experts have concluded that an educated populace is key to development. It is accepted too, that education — of every kind – begins with literacy, and taking the line of reasoning one step further, experts say that literacy begins in the home.

Literacy is traditionally regarded as the ability to read and write. More recently, particularly as technology advances, the interpretation of the word has widened to mean ‘competence in particular areas;’ people may, for example, say that a person is ‘computer literate.’

Presently, the use of the term has further expanded to include competence in all means of communication including language, numbers, images, and the devices that facilitate such communication.

Literacy is the result of progressive development of a series of skills, including understanding spoken and written words, the ability to grasp nuances and subtext, perhaps, even the ability to interpret body-language within the context of a particular cultural construct. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proposes that literacy be defined as the “ability to identify, understand,

interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts.” UNESCO notes that, “Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society.” Considering all of the foregoing, it immediately becomes obvious that:
(1) Development of any kind is dependent on literacy, and;
(2) The foundations of literacy precede a child’s enrolment in school. In other words, literacy (and education) necessarily begins at home.

Since being elected to office, the coalition administration has made impressive strides towards the improvement of the education system. President Granger explained that, “One of the reasons there is so much poverty is because there is so much inequality. Once the child of a rich man and the child of a poor man have the same education, they have the chance to be equal and then they have a better opportunity at employment and making sure that you have a good life.”

The administration has introduced the 5Bs initiative – the distribution or provision of boats, buses, bicycles, breakfast and books to children and schools in hinterland communities. The Guyana Education Sector Improvement Project (GESIP) continues to deliver positive

results; and at least six (6) additional national projects have been launched since David Granger was elected to office. Evidently, government is doing everything possible to ensure that Guyanese children get the best education. However, knowing that education is built on a foundation of literacy, and fostering literacy must begin before a child begins to attend school, it is obvious that parents have a part to play.

Developmental experts agree that reading – an essential literacy skill – should begin as early as possible. According to a study of 1,171 Norwegian children and their parents, children whose parents read to them in early childhood were better prepared to learn to read in school. Also, children whose parents read to them before age two, had double the vocabulary of those whose parents waited until age four to begin reading with them.

The study concluded that young children benefit from listening to adults reading, because listening allowed them to learn linguistic concepts at the age when their brains were most receptive to the acquisition of language. Other experts have explained why this is so.

According to Dr. Reid Lyon, Chief of the Child Development and Behaviour Branch at the National Institutes of Health (USA), reading consists of five skills: phonemic awareness – the ability to identify individual sounds, phonics; the ability to connect written letters with spoken sounds; vocabulary – the knowledge of the meanings of words; comprehension – understanding what is read; and fluency – the capacity to read accurately and quickly. Those five abilities must all be acquired by the child in an integrated way, in order for him or her to read properly.

Considering that the learning of almost all subjects begins with the ability to read, what can parents do to increase the chances that their children will acquire not only the ability to read, but a love for reading, and, by extension, learning? Again, the experts are in agreement: parents should begin to vocalise and read to their children from infancy. And, as the child grows, so should the level of interaction between the parent and the child.

Dr. Lyon emphasises that parents must bear in mind that not all children learn at the same rate. Therefore, there is no magic graph that shows what an individual child must know at any particular age. Instead, the psychologist urges that parents constantly interact with their children, and positive results will follow.

The educational development of children is dependent on many variables, just as national progress depends on the skills of future generations. Whether or not that child grows up to be a productive member of society involves even more dynamics, the majority of which no parent can control, or even influence. However, all things considered, every parent wants their child to be successful, and every patriotic citizen wants Guyana to develop. Since much of that success and development is founded on literacy, parents should do whatever they can to give their child that foundation, as government also does its part.