A section of the HEART graduating class from western Jamaica. Many who want to enter the programme do not have basic literary skills.
As in many other countries, politics in Jamaica easily descends into farce. All of a sudden, for some strange reason, the much-heralded approach of the Golding government to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) seems to have hit a rut. We had been led to expect that the 'letter of intent' would have been long finalised and ready to present to the executive board at the coming meetings in Turkey.
Well, it is now less than a month to those meetings on October 6 and 7. After a frenzied pace through all of August, the brakes have been suddenly applied. I wonder why. Of course, we know that all IMF loans require executive board approval. We know also that the United States controls 16.77 per cent of the vote, effectively giving it veto power over any loan application. We know further, that only last month, Britain and The Netherlands blocked approval of Iceland's IMF loan application until the Icelandic government bowed and passed a bill to compensate private British and Dutch depositors with Icelandic taxpayer funds. Such is the way of the world - small countries who decide to play the fool with the vital interests of major powers are swiftly compelled to bow. There are many ways to skin a cat.
We will just have to wait and see how the drama plays out. In the meantime, an issue of vital interest to us all is at hand. This is the issue of improving youth literacy.
rescue our youth
This very week it was revealed that the $200 million originally budgeted for the Youth Entrepreneurship Programme (YEP) was slashed to a mere $10 million. We have the IMF to thank for this - another example of how they go about "protecting the vulnerable". At the same time, homicides are on the rise, as well as the drug trade. As many have pointed out, our crime problem at root is primarily a youth problem. This is because we have about 300,000 young people who are unemployed outright, and another 100,000 who are working poor. With the severe recession and the Government cutbacks, the situation of our youth is bound to get much worse. If we wish to arrive at a lasting solution to our crime problem, we have to rescue our youth.
A critical part of this is raising their educational and skill levels. Currently, at least 70 per cent of HEART enrolees cannot go beyond Level I, which is the semi-skilled level. Thousands more cannot even reach that far - their level of literacy is so low that they cannot even pass the HEART entrance exams. The thrust of education minister Andrew Holness' address last week Sunday on the literacy crisis among our youths, therefore, raises crucial issues.
However, there is a problem with the approach which was announced. What the minister announced was a crash programme - a "war" on illiteracy. The plan seems to be to increase the number of 'literacy specialists' from 70 to 90, and to require them to 'storm' the illiteracy citadel occupied by our youth. In addition, 70 'numeracy specialists' will be deployed. The hope is that this approach will lead to a reduction in illiteracy by seven per cent per year, and that illiteracy will be eliminated totally by 2015. The cost of all this is estimated at $500 million.
Of course, as was demonstrated recently when Holness' school-building plans were brutally slashed behind his back, the IMF may have some nasty surprises in store for him. But setting that little detail aside, there is a more important problem with his approach. What was presented to the nation last week Sunday was a panic response. It lacked the solid and systematic approach which has been taken in the early childhood education programme.
In the first place, the level of illiteracy in our primary schools is being grossly underestimated. The minister put it at 25 per cent, when it is closer to 60-70 per cent. More important, throwing literacy specialists at the youth has not been the approach in the projects which have worked. The one I have some knowledge of - developed by Joan Spencer-Ernandez of the University of the West Indies - had other unique features which were extremely effective. As pointed out before, that programme in Arnett Gardens not only had close to 100 per cent success, but also resulted in the boys outperforming the girls at high school.
DIAGNOSTIC TESTING
The crux of her approach was to begin with very careful diagnostic testing across all students in the upper grade levels (three-six) of primary school. On the basis of these tests, she was able to arrive at a very clear picture of the real levels of literacy/illiteracy of the students and the very specific areas of learning difficulty which they faced. She then proceeded to group the students by their real levels in such a manner that, for example, the very same class would be broken up into three clusters of students, each cluster more or less having students of an equivalent level. Each group would then be given learning material appropriate to their level and teaching targeted at the very specific learning problems identified by the tests.
The result was that one teacher would have three different groups teaching at the same time in the same class. Some students who were formally in grade six of primary school found themselves in a cluster which put them in fact in grade three. But no student was removed from his or her assigned class grade. They were regrouped, but stayed put. Careful and repeated diagnostic testing leading to this resorting of the students in each class were at the heart of the Spencer-Ernandez approach. Contrary to what some might expect, it did not demoralise students who found themselves de facto demoted. Nor did the teachers rebel. It should also be noted that no special teaching materials were developed - the programme relied mainly on the existing body of instructional material.
This approach worked by relying on the existing cadre of teachers. She managed to win over the initially sceptical teachers to accept and manage these new complex teaching arrangements. But it required intensely close supervision, ton loads of tact, and sensitive support of these teachers by Joan and her small team of assistants (about three), and careful testing and evaluation throughout.
EXTENDING HOURS
It also required extending the real hours that the students spent each day in learning. Sadly, this programme revealed that it is fairly common for classroom time to be about an hour short in practice (sometimes more!) than that which is formally provided for on the school timetable. Various devices, such as starting recess early and/or ensuring that the bell to end recess is rung late, seems to be fairly widespread in some of our inner-city schools. Spencer-Ernandez's approach proved that it is impossible to achieve breakthrough results unless the actual, real hours of classroom learning are what are specified in the formal timetable. In fact, her view is that these need to be increased by at least an hour more per day.
This is just the barebones outline of how Joan Spencer-Ernandez managed to achieve her remarkable results, dealing with thousands of students and with a budget under $2 million. At the heart of this success was not only systematic diagnostic testing and supervision, but a wonderful grass-roots Jamaican lady utterly dedicated to her educational mission.
I have not the slightest doubt that Joan's enthusiasm and commitment - which went way beyond her immediate classroom obligations - played a vital role in motivating her students to achieve full literacy at the primary level, and then CXC success at the high-school level.
If I were Holness, I would not put my faith in this literacy-specialist strategy. Even less would I listen to any nonsense from the IMF/World Bank about "protecting the vulnerable." I would get hold of Joan Spencer-Ernandez without further delay!
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Holness