International Literacy Day Message from the Honourable Minister of Education Hon. Andrew Holness, M.P. September 8, 2009
On September 8 each year, Jamaica joins the rest of the world in observing International Literacy Day. The significance of the event is embraced by the Ministry of Education as well as other stakeholders in the Education sector. International Literacy Day is used to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies.
This year’s theme, ‘The Power of Literacy’ could not be better timed as the world grapples with a myriad of problems that often leave vast numbers of citizens feeling powerless in the face of economic challenges and social upheavals.
Closer to home, in spite of our many challenges, Jamaica has made significant strides in raising literacy levels. This year, apart from our usual focus on literacy through structured programmes at the Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary levels, we have stepped up our game as we aggressively seek to surpass the UN Millennium Goal of basic Education for All by 2015…only 6 short years away.
The Ministry’s National Literacy Programme for the 2009 – 2010 school year will see fifty (50) new cluster-based Literacy Specialists being deployed across the island. Twelve (12) of the literacy specialists will be assigned specifically to provide support at the secondary level. This is being done as many children who enter high schools are not reading at their grade level. The rest of the specialists will be assigned to primary schools.
Your government will demonstrate the extent of our belief in education through more than ‘nice words’. The Ministry of Education has budgeted $500 million dollars this year to bring the number of literacy specialists up to 90 and the number of numeracy specialists to 70. The literacy programme will give support to classroom teachers, while Principals and senior staff members will be assisted in executing their responsibilities as literacy leaders.
Each school will be given literacy targets to achieve after consultation with their respective boards and principals. Whatever the final benchmarks, I remain optimistic about our goals, albeit tempered (as always) with a healthy dose of realism.
My confidence is firmly grounded, thanks to the blessing a superb and dedicated cadre of technocrats in our Ministry, supported by a growing number of active social partners including parents, church and community leaders and to some extent the private sector.
Let me also applaud the Curriculum Teaching and Learning Work Stream of the Education Transformation Team, other officers of the Ministry of Education as well our key agencies in securing greater levels of literacy - The Jamaican Foundation For Lifelong Learning and the Jamaica Library Service.
Challenges notwithstanding, UNESCO is quite right in its decision to use the next two years to sell the idea that the advancement of literacy is a pre-requisite to wider civic engagement and active citizenship. Without this we sink in the same boat, because as individuals we cannot be fully shielded from the overall effects of the quality of life of those around us.
In a real sense, no man woman or child is an island. Let all of us who share this island home therefore commit to fully embrace a lifestyle of lifelong learning to equip and empower us for full participation in our collective future.
