Whiteman A NATIONAL literacy target of 90 per cent has been set for students leaving primary school for the first half of the new decade.
This was noted by Education and Culture Minister, Senator Burchell Whiteman, at the official opening of the Ascot Primary School in Portmore, St. Catherine, on Sunday.
Mr. Whiteman pointed out that currently, the literacy rate for those students was 70 per cent.
"Every school has to work to contribute to the new target," the Minister stressed.
He called on the community to support the new school, noting that partnerships were needed for education. "The Ministry will not be able to do everything that is requested. We need partnerships to improve the quality of provisions," he said.
Mr. Whiteman said there were plans to add five new schools to the St. Catherine area one primary, one basic, one special education and two high schools.
In her remarks, principal of the school, Mobray Campbell, expressed gratitude to the parents, teachers and the community which had thrown their support behind the school.
She had special thanks for the Education and Culture Ministry and the German Embassy, which contributed $310,000 towards equipping the school.
Mrs. Campbell said her tenure as principal has so far been challenging but rewarding.
"Most of the children we got when we opened were under-achievers, but our 13 staff members accepted the challenge. Needs analysis were conducted and the students were sorted according to their needs," she informed.
She added that a trained reading specialist was hired and a resource centre established to "bolster what was happening in the classroom" and to help those students who could not read well.
Noting that the first set of students had done the Grade Six Achievement Tests (GSAT) in March of this year, she said they had done very well. "A few even surprised us," she said.
Member of Parliament for South St. Catherine, Fitz Jackson, urged the community to take care of the school.
"It does not belong to the Ministry, it belongs to the community and what it becomes will depend on how you keep it," he said.
There are 1,100 students from Portmore and Spanish Town on roll at the school.
