Literacy programme strengthened to ensure every child can read – MoE

In identifying the prevalence of children in the school system who cannot read, the Education Ministry is tackling this challenge by strengthening its literacy programme across the country.
The National Literacy Department of that Ministry on Tuesday opened a three-day Literacy Training workshop for District Education Officers (DEOs) who have responsibility for Primary education in the eleven education districts.
Assistant Chief Education Officer with responsibility for Literacy, Samantha Williams, said the three-day session would encompass the sharing of practices and knowledge to improve literacy across Guyana. Williams noted that while some students may have difficulty reading, the situation is not impossible to overcome.
“It takes each and every one of us to make a difference,” she noted.
Williams called on the DEOs to become leaders, not only to chart the way forward in their respective districts, but also to get involved in the day-to-day processes. She urged them to support teachers on this journey to ultimately make every child a reader across Guyana.
Over the three days, the officers will be exposed to the major and critical elements of the Literacy programme, so that they can have a deeper understanding.
Meanwhile, Chief Education Officer Saddam Hussain underscored that the Ministry intends to have a literacy point person in every school. Work is ongoing to have every teacher trained in literacy, so that they can build on current lessons in the classroom.
A programme to be rolled out in the primary schools will focus specifically on children who cannot read. He urged the officers to take advantage of the training sessions, so that they can go back to their districts and begin to transform the lives of children.
Assistant Chief Education Officer (Primary), Rabindra Singh, advised the Officers to guide teachers and headteachers and help them to execute their duties. He said that this can only be done with dedication and commitment.
“There is no other good way to start than to empower Education Officers with the knowledge and skills,” he remarked.
Additionally, Deputy Chief Education Officer (Development), Volika Jaikishun, admitted that there will be certain elements of literacy that will be new in order to address the current issue. She said the education system can only move forward in the right direction when people are equipped with the right knowledge and skills. She also encouraged the Officers to help schools to establish strong parental partnerships, as parents are very important stakeholders in this process.
At the last National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), English saw a dip in overall performance at 64.8 per cent.