Primary schools in St Elizabeth to prioritise literacy

Primary schools across St Elizabeth have placed literacy at the forefront of their teaching agenda for the 2025/2026 academic year.

The institutions are determined to strengthen fluency and comprehension skills among the young minds of the parish this year by elevating their reading skills, which is also a foundation for success across all subject areas.

At Crawford Primary & Infant School, Principal, Shellian Madden, told JIS News that the school is fully aligned with a new mandatory reading programme instituted by the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information.

This is to assist in moving the school’s literacy rate from the current 70 per cent to 95 per cent, she noted.

“The Ministry has now made it mandatory that the first hour of school begins with reading and so all our teachers have been trained for that programme,” Madden outlined.

“So, we will do reading every morning before we start the different subject areas,” she added.

Madden said a child who struggles with reading will face challenges in other subjects. As such, she pointed out that early literacy intervention and development are essential.

The institution is fully prepared, with classrooms and the school grounds ready after extensive summer work, according to Madden. Also, she noted that the entire staff complement is in place and are “mentally prepared after psychosocial sessions with the guidance counsellor”.

At Holland Primary School, Principal, Simone Doctor, pointed out similar priorities. She said that despite students’ dependence on modern technology and gadgets, many still lack fluent reading skills.

“To achieve all of this, it is going to take partnership with the parents. I even told parents during the devotional exercise that the same enthusiasm they displayed in other spheres recently, that we want to see the same level of enthusiasm in education,” Mrs. Doctor explained.

She added that alongside literacy, Holland Primary will also concentrate on improving performance in Mathematics this school year.

Meanwhile, at Parottee Primary School, Principal, Denash Clarke, pinpointed literacy, specifically reading, as the year’s core objective.

She indicated that the institution has interventions in place, such as afternoon and Saturday classes, to help bolster students’ literacy.

The school is to also receive additional assistance from its past students’ association, which contributes to extra programmes to help those youngsters who need more support, Clarke noted.

“In our National Education Inspectorate (NEI) rating, we are presently at good, and so we are expecting to get to the highest level for next rating. Also, we have two students who have been assigned a shadow by the Ministry. So, we try our best to ensure that our students are catered for,” Clarke underscored.

In the meantime, the first day of the new academic year was marked by smooth operations and high student turnout across the parish. Schools reported a seamless and positive start with no notable hiccups.

Parent participation was notably high across all institutions as well.

- JIS News

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.