Literacy, robotics programme launched at Den Amstel Primary School

…initiative aimed at advancing use of technology – Education Minister

The Education Ministry on Monday launched its Literacy and Robotics Programme at the Den Amstel Primary School, West Coast Demerara (WCD), with the aim of advancing the use of technology.
The programme was launched by the Ministry’s National Literacy Department and the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) and will see Den Amstel Primary School as the first school that will benefit.
The programme provides intensive remedial intervention to fast-track the learner’s literacy skills, especially his or her ability to read.

The two-fold intervention, which is aimed at accelerating the reader’s literacy level in the shortest possible time, will be delivered through an in-school mechanism and an after-school reading club.
A literacy diagnostic assessment was conducted at the school which revealed that 45 out of the 67 learners enrolled at the school are reading below their age and grade level which represents 70 per cent of the school’s population.
Delivering remarks at the launch, Education Minister Priya Manickchand underscored that a strict literacy programme which includes phonics, sight words, and reading, among others is necessary.

The robotics aspect will help the students to fix various robotics kits.
The Minister further underlined that the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused many students to endure learning loss owing to the schools being closed for more than two years, exacerbated the situation.
“Our estimation says that in six weeks all of these children could be at a significantly higher level. So, this is a programme we are starting here because we believe there is nothing more important that you can do than to produce readers from the school system,” the Minister noted.
A documentary will be done by the Guyana Learning Channel which will help to track the students’ progress. Additionally, every pupil at the school will receive the required textbooks.
Meanwhile, ACEO for Literacy, Samantha Williams stated that the Ministry hopes that with consistent, quality instructions, continuous tracking of performance, and prescriptive methodologies, the learners who start this intervention will begin to see improvements and get closer to reading at their age levels within six weeks of the intervention.
Assessments will be conducted weekly at the school to track the students’ progress.
This programme forms part of the Government’s aim to ensure that every student has equitable access to education and the skills they need to become innovative and productive.
Regional Chairman Ishan Ayube, Regional Executive Officer Jagnarine Somwar, NCERD Curriculum Department Head Omwattie Ramdin, and other officials of the Ministry were present at the event.