In response to your story on Monday which stated that "Minister of Education Andrew Holness has urged teachers to immediately tackle the problem of illiteracy," I would like to say this declaration is a hopeful first step.

However, if Minister Holness is serious, he must present a strategy to the teachers, rather than making a simple declaration and leaving it to them. I think the followings steps could be helpful:

1. The Government must identify a level of literacy that it is aiming at within a realistic timeline, say three to five years.

2. Minister Holness and the officials at the Ministry of Education must then meet with other eminent individuals in education as well as other disciplines. Their task will be to put heads together and craft a strategy to deliver a literacy programme, using the available resources that the nation has in all schools.

3. Hold area conferences with all school administrators to inform them what the ministry wants to accomplish in Jamaica and what their individual responsibility will be in the initiative.

4. Declare all teachers to be teachers of literacy and hold workshops to enable and empower them to teach literacy as they deliver their curriculum.

5. Have periodic reporting sessions to the nation so it can be known if the programme is meeting the objectives.

6. The ministry and its officials will make ongoing adjustments, if necessary, to keep the programme on track.

I believe, there is a wealth of local knowledge that is waiting to be tapped to lift our nation out of its deep sleep.

I am, etc.,

Royston McKenzie

roystonf@sympatico.ca