Significant improvements in Den Amstel Primary students’ literacy skills 

Following the implementation of the Literacy and Robotics Programme in February at Den Amstel Primary School, the students have shown significant improvements in their literacy skills.
Education Minister Priya Manickchand on Friday met with parents whose children attend the West Coast Demerara (WCD) school, during which Assistant Chief Education Officer with responsibility for Literacy, Samantha Williams, remarked on the students’ vast improvement.

The Literacy and Robotics Programme is a joint initiative between the Education Ministry’s National Literacy Department and the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) that provides intensive remedial intervention to fast-track learners’ literacy skills, especially their ability to read.
Prior to the programme’s commencement, a literacy diagnostic assessment was conducted at the school which revealed that 45 out of the 67 learners enrolled at the school were reading below their age and grade level, which represents 70 per cent of the school’s population.
This programme’s three-tiered approach begins at the basic level, moves on to the intermediate level and culminates at the advanced level, during which assessments are done periodically to track the students’ progress.
Manickchand stated that the Education Ministry is committed to ensuring that each child is literate. She reiterated that while support will be provided to build on the pupils’ progress, parents must be actively involved in their children’s academic development.
She further stated that each child must be encouraged and supported to make full use of the opportunities available in Guyana’s transforming economy.
Parents present during the meeting expressed their satisfaction with the programme, noting that they have witnessed improvements in their children’s reading and comprehension skills.
It was announced that during the August vacation, a Literacy Camp will be hosted at the Den Amstel Primary School for learners. In addition to building literacy skills, the pupils will participate in other activities such as arts and crafts, storytelling, puppeteering, drama and poetry.
First implemented in the Den Amstel Primary School, the Literacy and Robotics Programme is now also being executed in Kawall Primary School, La Retraite Primary School and Blankenburg Primary School in Region Three (Essequibo Islands- West Demerara), and Enterprise Primary School in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).