The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

Having worked in education at several schools for over 20 years, I can say that I am thoroughly frustrated. Daily I am presented with students who cannot read or are 15 and reading at a third grade level. This has been going on for years yet The Ministry of Education is not addressing the problem. Every time I see Minister Jeff Lloyd on the television talking about buying tablets for students and laptops for teachers. I am angry and frustrated. This is Not what the students need! Our students need to learn how to read and comprehend what they read. Our schools need a comprehensive reading programme that is tiered for all primary school students. Phonics must be the foundation of that programme because children today cannot sound out words. I asked a 13 year old to sound out the word “milk” and the child made the “s” sound. This is the root problem in education today. Why is the government playing politics and wasting money buying tablets and laptops? Technology has its place in education but it SHOULD NOT be the central focus when so many students in primary, junior and senior schools cannot read at grade level! Once a student can read well, he or she can do well in just about any subject because all subjects require reading.

I was recently in a well known bookstore and saw that they had phonics books from levels A to K or higher by the Pearson book company. Why doesn’t the government get these in the primary schools and start a programme for weak and non readers so that by the time they get to grade six they can read well?

As for junior and senior school students, the government should change an existing school into a school that focuses on students at this level who cannot read or are weak readers. The school can focus on Reading and Math and really focus on getting students up to standard in reading. If the reading problem is not effectively addressed we will never see the kind of improvement that we want to see in our exams. The government needs to stop dancing around the problem and confront the problem head on.

TIRED OF FOOLISHNESS

Nassau

July 18, 2019