Prime Minister Bruce Golding reads a book to children during Western Union Reading Week, at the Denham Town Primary School, Spanish Town Road, Kingston, on Wednesday. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

Every child has the potential to be a success, but not without the support and experience of schools, said Prime Minister Bruce Golding.

In an address at Denham Town Primary School in his west Kingston constituency on Wednesday, Golding stressed the importance of literacy and numeracy to a class of 23 excited children, as he endorsed a Western Union Reading Week campaign.

"Everyone of these children have the potential to become a scientist, professor or engineer," the Prime Minister said.

"So much of their realised hope depends on the experience they have and the level of support given to their learning experience."

The school of approximately 1,100 students does not, at present, have a library, but welcomed the donation of a range of books from the Kingston Bookshop.

Golding reiterated recent comments made by Andrew Holness, Minister of Education, who had said too many children were leaving the education system unable to efficiently read and write.

Remedial work

"We need to put in place remedial work to ensure that the GSAT is a stepping stone and not a stumbling block ... we need to train teachers and screen students to identify children with special needs, to ensure they get the support and resources they need. No child must be left behind."

Currently, the national literacy rate for adults and children is 76 per cent. Everton Jones, principal of Denham Town Primary, in acknowledging Golding's remarks, said more specialist and subject teachers were required to improve the literacy and numeracy rate of children across Jamaica.

"The class size has to be reduced and teachers who are literacy specialists should be responsible for teaching reading at a grade 1-3 level," he said.

Jones was happy the school was selected as the institution faces many challenges with quality intake of students and limited resources.

"We have about four computers in the school, but we have a number of teachers who are well trained and very innovative in what we do with the resources we have," he said.

Reinforcing his commitment to improving literacy and stressing the significance he hoped the day would have for his students, Jones spoke proudly of his school.

"The day belongs to the people who came to read and the children who will be inspired by their presence," he said.