Third phase of literacy and numeracy programme begins

GINA, GUYANA, Friday, January 13, 2017

A number of literacy and numeracy trainee educators are working alongside teachers and mentors to aid other youths in their communities. The Literacy and Numeracy Work Ready  Programme is a pilot programme under the office of  Presidential Advisor on Youth Empowerment.

In a recent interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA), Training and Education Officer, Ronald Austin Jr, said that the monitoring and evaluation phase allows the trainee educators to execute what they have learnt within five months. The trainees are working in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Ten.

“There are now actually teaching literacy and numeracy in their communities. They had outreaches,(and)they have recruited persons. Some communities have up to 12 and 15 persons expressing an interest. What we have discovered is that within those communities, there is a re-born interest in this idea of literacy and numeracy,” Austin said.

Austin pointed out that the programme faced numerous challenges since persons are uncomfortable to admit that they are illiterate.

“You have persons who are adults who are not literate or numerate and the sensitisation has gone down in the community and it is not easy for persons especially when you are dealing with young persons who might be popular within a community to openly say, ‘hey I can’t read or write, I need assistance’,” Austin explained.

The Training and Education Officer said that the Agency will also decide on the number of youths who will be allowed to participate and this will be based on the number of trainee educators available within the communities.

The Training and Education Officer said that of the 13 communities that participated in the programme, three have not submitted their schedules for classes in 2017.

The success of the programme is based on the execution of phase three.

 

By: Neola Damon