Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter

Bevar Moodie, principal, José Marti Technical High School. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

More than half of the 500 grade seven students at the José Marti Technical High School in St. Catherine are reading below grade level, according to Bevar Moodie, principal of the institution.

Mr. Moodie said this was even more disturbing because a building which is to accommodate the grade seven students who currently attend school two to three times per week, will not be ready until January.

"The students are not reading at the standard that they should be. Some are reading at grade one level and it is more than upsetting and we are disappointed that the building is not ready," said Mr. Moodie.

Low-performing students

Up to a year ago, José Marti facilitated grades nine to 11 pupils. The institution, however, currently accepts students from grades seven to 11 because of the demand for school spaces in St. Catherine. The principal said it seemed that most of the low-performing students were sent to his school.

Mr. Moodie noted that 280 non-readers will be placed in self-contained classrooms and remain there, rather than moving from class to class, noting that this has to be done because the classrooms have to be set up as reading rooms.

"It is almost like a primary school situation but that is the reality," Mr. Moodie lamented.

The principal said the school is in the process of retraining teachers and running workshops and seminars to assist teachers to teach the students to read.

Teachers shocked

"The teachers were shocked at what they were seeing," Mr. Moodie told The Gleaner.

"Some of these students do not show the capability or aptitude for learning," he added.

Mr. Moodie said the school will be resocialising the students because "they are really in a bad way and they cannot listen and sit still and follow instructions."

Contacted yesterday, Senator Noel Monteith, State Minister in the Ministry of Education and Youth, said his ministry was equally concerned that the students have been away from the classrooms for so many days, since September. However, he noted that the contractors were pushing very hard to have the building ready as soon as possible.

Interventions

He also lamented the fact that so many grade seven students are not reading, noting that the school will have to put interventions in place.

The school was set to receive 17 new classrooms with science and reading laboratories. The Education Ministry had promised that nine of the classrooms, which are to provide space for some 360 students, were to be ready by the third week in September because the contractors had problems sourcing cement.

However, this promise was not fulfilled and the Education Ministry then assured the school that the additional spaces would be ready by the end of September.

Seven of the classrooms and the reading laboratory were opened in October.